


Really, you?

by pyksil



Category: Maria Holic, Mariya Holic (Anime/Manga)
Genre: Canon Universe, F/M, Fluff, Living Together, Mild Language, Multi, Relationship(s), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-17
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-09 18:44:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 35,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4360172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyksil/pseuds/pyksil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mariya returns from summer break to find Kanako just as he left her, but for some strange reason, something feels different.<br/>Kanako finds herself living at the Shidou Manor after the second girls dorm is struck by a mysterious bug infestation, and though she tries to stay away, finds herself more drawn to Mariya than ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Guess who's back

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the whole 'I do not own it' thing  
> *I do not own Maria Holic*  
> Also, first published fic! *does a little woot woot*  
> I decided to not use suffixes in this story, the only one I did end up using, however, is -sensei.  
> Please enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date.

_Dear mother in heaven, sometimes I wonder why I can’t just sleep forever._

Kanako groaned, rolling to her side as she tried to ignore the weight pressing on her legs. Wait, weight on her legs?

“Good morning, Kanako.” A sweet voice sang, causing Kanako to jolt upright, hugging her sheets as she stared at the smiling blonde that now sat before her.

“Mariya?” She asked, confused. She did the math in her head, there was still one day of summer vacation left, Mariya wasn’t supposed to be returning until the day school restarted. He went on vacation to, Paris was it?

“Yes,” Mariya cocked his head to the side, amused, “I’m back a day early, Kanako.” Kanako narrowed her eyes at her roommate, sliding back under her covers slowly.

“Why?” She asked, her voice muffled by the fabric. Mariya shrugged, swinging his legs over the side of the bed and sighing.

“My parents thought it would be good for me to go to my teachers early and get a head start on any assignments for the upcoming term,” Mariya said, mindlessly gazing across the room at his own dorm bed, “and Shizu insisted on coming back early so she could, I don’t know, ‘readjust’ to being surrounded by boys or whatever.” The light, airy voice was gone, replaced with a low annoyed one.

“You could have stayed at your mansion by yourself still,” Kanako said carefully, now sticking her head over her covers. Mariya huffed out a breath of air, glaring at her.

“I also didn’t trust you enough to leave you alone for another day,” He growled, flicking his hair over his shoulder. He was referring to, of course, the fact that Kanako knew that he was actually a boy escapading around the school as a girl to try and win a bet against his twin sister, Shizu, who attended the boy’s school across the campus. Their grandmother was the former chairwoman of both schools, and wanted the two to understand both genders if either was going to step up to become chair of the schools themselves, and decided that this was the best way of doing so.

“I’ve barely had enough time to even think about ways of exposing you,” Kanako sat up, challenging Mariya, “keep in mind I’ve been stuck in this school all summer for summer classes.”

“And whose fault is that?” Mariya sniffed, crossing his arms, “You failed every class you took, _again_.” Kanako’s face turned red at this as she looked away, glaring at the wall. “Speaking of your summer classes, don’t they start soon?” Mariya said smugly as he motioned to Kanako’s alarm clock. The girl looked lazily over at the numbers on the face before letting out a considerable shriek and leaping out of her bed, nearly knocking Mariya off of it in the process.

“Mariya!” Kanako wailed. In a startlingly fast amount of time, Kanako managed to shove herself into her school uniform, grab all of her books and papers off of her desk, slip into her shoes and bolt out of the door, leaving a slightly entertained Mariya behind sitting on an empty bed.

“She seems to be getting faster at getting ready in the mornings,” Matsurika calmly stated from her position in front of Mariya’s bed.

“She does.” Mariya stared at the door for a moment after Kanako left. He blinked, shaking his head and clearing his throat.

“Why did you want to come back early, Mariya?” Matsurika asked blandly, clearly already knowing the answer herself, even if Mariya didn’t. Mariya narrowed his eyes at his maid.

“Exactly the reasons I stated, why?” Mariya quickly stood and brushed himself off, like he was ridding himself of Kanako’s germs from her bed.

“No reason.”

 

\--

 

“No homework today,” Kanako sang happily as she walked out of her summer classroom with her friends. They were planning on getting off-campus permission to “study at a friend’s house” and go get ice cream as a means of celebration.

_Dear mother in heaven, thank you for friends, ice cream, summer, and beautiful girls, all wrapped into one beautiful day._

“Well, it is the last day of class for this session, technically.” Yuzuru Inamori said quietly behind Kanako, thinking aloud.

“Mhmm! Regular classes start tomorrow,” Sachi Momoi said excitedly, “everyone will be back!”

“Do you miss Mariya, Kanako?” Yuzuru asked, folding the sleeves of her archery uniform so she could stand beside her friend better. “It must be lonely having a dorm room all to yourself.” _Yeah, lonely,_ Kanako thought, gritting her teeth, _more like lovely._

“Actually, Mariya came back today.” Kanako laughed dejectedly, seeming happy to the others when in reality she was choking on her tears.

“Cool!” Sachi grinned, “Did she bring you back all kinds of stuff from France?”

“No, I actually only saw her this morning when she woke me up to announce her early arrival.” Kanako sighed, rubbing her neck.

“How sweet,” Sachi skipped in front of the group, making Kanako almost forget about Mariya and instead focus on how cute her friend was.

“Well, we wouldn’t want to keep the two of you from catching up,” Yuzuru smiled, “Come along, Sachi, we’ll have to go out to get ice cream another day.” Sachi and Yuzuru waved as they left Kanako standing speechless and heartbroken at the entrance of the 2nd girl’s dorm. She reached out to their receding backs and shed a single tear at the lost time that she could have spent with her beautiful classmates. Deciding to bite the bullet, and because she was frankly exhausted, Kanako headed immediately to her dorm room. She opened the door very carefully and shut it very quietly, turning slowly to find-

Nothing.

The dorm room was empty, and Kanako almost did a fist pump into the air. She had missed ice cream with her friends, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t spend the last moments of her summer vacation somewhat enjoying her time by eating chocolates and looking through contraband Yuri magazines that the dorm mistress had let her keep because she had managed to hide them in the flooring tucked between the pages of old Shakespearean plays. Her first 70 points in a room examination. Kanako was very proud. However, just as she unbuttoned a few buttons on her uniform collar, flung off her bag, gotten out her chocolate and one of her magazines and laid down all nice and comfy on her bed,  Mariya walked through the door, Matsurika directly behind. Kanako’s semblance of a hope for a peaceful self indulging evening silently drifted away from her and far off into an unknown land.

“Oh, you’re here.” Mariya said and plopped onto his bed, crossing his legs and leaning back on his hands, casually regarding Kanako out of the corner of his eye. Kanako sneakily slipped the magazine under her mattress, she didn’t want to be made fun of for it later.

“Yes I am, thank you, you do remember that this is a shared dorm?” Kanako crossed her arms, huffing. Mariya seemed slightly surprised that Kanako had actually replied with a somewhat snarky comeback. Maybe she had changed a bit over the summer. Mariya was almost impressed, when he saw the corner of a very obvious erotica yuri magazine sticking out from under her bed. He sighed, people don’t ever really change, especially this one.

“Oh, I wish I could forget, I also wish you could forget my secret so I wouldn’t have to watch over you, but we can’t all get what we want.” Mariya answered smugly, making Kanako glare at him.

“Anyway, because I am curious, how was France?” Kanako asked, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Mariya was about to open his mouth to retort with some type of stinging comment, probably including some references to the Eiffel tower that he saw, and the Tokyo tower as well just for good measure, when Kanako shifted and the few buttons undone on the top of her uniform twisted just enough for him to see her collarbones, and the top of her chest. Mariya felt his face heating up, and immediately turned, staring with an intense amount of focus at the wall in front of his bed. “Mariya?”

“Shut up, sow.” Mariya snapped, never tearing his gaze away from the wall in front of him. Kanako blinked, confused.

“I do believe dinner is starting soon,” Matsurika interjected, breaking the silence that had begun to grow. Mariya wordlessly got up and left the dorm room. What the hell? Why did he feel like such a wreck right now? What had happened that had made him-

_Kanako._

No, no way, right? It wasn’t even Kanako, it was just the shock of seeing that amount of her skin in her school uniform. That was it, he just wasn’t used to seeing that. After a moment of convincing himself that he was sane. Mariya made his way down to the dining room. A few falsetto hello’s were in order to all of the students he hadn’t seen because of summer, and he had already prepared multiple answers to people’s questions about his trip to France. He never did answer Kanako’s question. Oh well, she could just hear it from other people.

Kanako watched Mariya laughing and spreading his tales of France from across the dining room, and frowned. He had acted kind of strange, earlier. Kanako usually ate across from Mariya, but today she just wasn’t feeling up to it. She grabbed a roll before sneaking off back to her dorm room. She wasn’t that hungry today, anyway.

 

\--

 

That night, for an unknown reason, Kanako slept better than she had in the entirety of the summer break. That unknown reason was certainly not the nearly silent whistle snores of her roommate that filled their dorm, and certainly wasn’t that floral spice scent that was specifically Mariya that now filled the room again, calming all of Kanako’s nerves with just a few inhales as she fell asleep.

 

 

 


	2. A field trip?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date.

“Good morning, Kanako.” Mariya sat over Kanako, his arms crossed and a smug little smile on his face.

_Dear mother in heaven, please help your daughter refrain from brutally murdering her roommate._

“Good morning, Mariya,” Kanako winced at the sunlight slanting out of the widow and hitting her directly in the eyes.

“It’s the first day of school, Kanako,” Mariya batted his eyelashes and giggled, “don’t you want to get up?” Kanako hesitated, looking at her clock.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?” She yelled, throwing off her blankets and darting to her closet.

“What is it, Kanako?” Mariya looked at his roommate innocently as she frantically shoved her books into her bag and managed to slip into her uniform in a matter of seconds.

“I’ll be down at breakfast,” Kanako frowned at Mariya, slipping on her shoes, “you coming?” Mariya blinked, letting out a genuine laugh. Kanako had certainly gotten better at getting ready quickly in the morning. He smirked as he grabbed his own bookbag. How else had Kanako changed over vacation?

 

\--

 

“A field trip?” Kanako was confused.

“The teachers feel a bit bad for the students who didn’t really get a break over summer due to summer courses,” Sachi explained as the group of friends walked out of the classroom after school, “weren’t you listening today?”  Kanako laughed nervously,  Kumagai-sensei was wearing a very nice,  _tight_  yellow sweater today and Kanako was having a hard time focusing on anything she was saying.

“We will be attending a lecture about Japanese history and staying at a hotel adjacent to the lecture hall for one day and one night,” Nanami Kiri pushed her glasses up her nose, repeating some of the information that Kumagai-sensei had explained earlier.

“We are departing tomorrow,” Yuzuru said, “we're allowed to pack street clothes for after the lecture, but we are required to wear our school uniforms during it.”

“This doesn’t really sound like that much of a vacation,” Kanako huffed, readjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

“We should all room together!” Sachi said excitedly, clapping her hands. Kanako’s nose began to heat up, but she quickly pinched it. She had been working on stopping her nose bleeds over the summer, and had thus far been mostly successful.

“It would be like a sleepover,” Yuzuru smiled. A spurt of blood escaped from Kanako’s nose. Kanako dropped to her knees.  _A sleepover_ , Kanako grinned, visions of her and the three beauties in front of her sharing secrets and having pillow fights began to dance through her head.

“Kanako!” Sachi squeaked, snapping Kanako out of her daydream.

“Hmm? Oh! I’m fine,” Kanako laughed it off, casually wiping away the blood that still trickled from her nose.

“We should all go pack,” Nanami pointed out, waiting for Kanako to resume standing.

“Yes!” Kanako said a bit too excitedly, “We should all get ready for tomorrow!” The four said their goodbyes as Kanako stopped in front of dorm number two, happily bouncing up to her dorm.

“You look like you had a good day, Kanako,” The dorm mistress was sweeping near the entrance of the dorm.

“The students that attended summer classes get to go on a field trip tomorrow,” Kanako explained gleefully, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet, “We’ll be gone tomorrow and returning the morning after that.”

“Not everyone will be happy at this news, will they?” The dorm mistress said somewhat ominously, her cat ears twitching. Her broom hit a black speck that scuttled away, but Kanako didn’t notice as she floated by, her happiness making her glide.

“Huh?” Kanako hesitated, about to ask what she meant, when she turned and the dorm mistress was already gone. Deciding to ignore her words and focus instead on the next two days, Kanako resumed her happy trot back up to her dorm room.

“Why do you look like the happiest kid in the class today?” Mariya frowned, noting his roommate’s expression as she slammed the door behind her, kicked off her shoes and wasted no time pulling a duffel bag out of her closet.

“Everyone who attended summer classes gets to go on a field trip,” Kanako explained as she began rifling through her clothing, deciding whether or not to bring her orange t-shirt or her yellow one.

“So why are you packing an overnight bag?” Mariya asked, closing the book he was just reading.

“It’s one day and one night,” Kanako hummed happily, “We’ll be attending a lecture and then staying at a hotel that’s next to the lecture hall.” Mariya froze, his eyes trained on the joyful girl in front of him.

“What?”

“You’ll have the dorm to yourself tomorrow night,” Kanako was examining a pink tank-top, “save yourself the insults, nothing you say to me will make me sad right now.” Kanako brushed a few dark crumbs off of the piece of clothing that almost seemed to skitter away as they hit the floor. Kanako sighed, “I get to spend a night in the same room as Sachi, Yuzuru and Nanami, who knows what’ll happen?” Mariya swallowed. He re-opened the book, shaking his head. “Where’s Matsurika, by the way?”

“She needed to ask Rindou something, but I didn’t feel like putting up with his antics so I let her go by herself.” Mariya was surprised to find that his voice was beginning to shake. Why was he so concerned right now, was it because Kanako was going to be gone? No, no way.

“Ah,” Kanako nodded, folding up both her yellow t-shirt and the pink tank top and gently laying them in her bag. Mariya tried to focus again on his reading, but Kanako continued to hum some happy random notes.

“Stop it,” Mariya growled after a minute, laying his book down again. Kanako turned to him.

“Huh?”

“Stop humming,” Mariya rubbed his temples, “It’s infuriating.” Kanako blinked.

“Is my humming bothering you?”

“Yes, you idiot, do I have to repeat myself?” Mariya groaned, annoyed. Kanako got a mischievous grin on her face before she began inching towards Mariya’s bed. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” Kanako continued to scoot towards Mariya’s bed, her humming gradually growing louder. Mariya exhaled and shut his book, closing his eyes to the count of five before he opened them, about to yell at Kanako.

The Kanako that was now directly in front of his face.

Mariya let out a yelp before yanking his head back and hitting it against his headboard. Letting out a curse, Mariya rubbed the back of his head and glared at Kanako, who hadn’t moved and was now giving him a triumphant smile.

“Why do you look so smug?” Mariya scowled, wincing as his fingers brushed the knot now forming on the back of his skull. Kanako’s grin changed to a look of concern as she flicked her gaze to his head.

“Did you just hurt yourself?” She asked, gently reaching to touch his head. Mariya inhaled sharply before jolting backwards and again hitting the same spot on his headboard. Kanako pulled her hand back at the same time. Why had she just reached to touch Mariya? She shuddered at the thought of hives, and she certainly wasn’t about to give them to herself, but Mariya would normally have loved to let Kanako touch him and get hives. Kanako paused, looking at Mariya with narrowed eyes for a moment. “You’ve been acting kind of strange.” Mariya was letting out a string of curses under his breath when he stopped, his eyes meeting Kanako’s. Mariya exhaled slowly, unable to look away from the blue that he was now staring into.

“Am I ruining something?” Matsurika stood at the foot of the bed, her voice it’s usual cool monotone. Mariya started and hit his head for the third time, this time a very loud unintelligible mass of syllables emitting from his mouth that Kanako assumed was supposed to be a swear.

“What? Sorry Matsurika, I couldn’t hear you over Mariya’s yell.” Kanako asked the maid, completely oblivious to the bright red blonde that sat on the bed behind her, gesturing for Matsurika to shut up.

“Nothing,” Matsurika pulled out her small hand-held gaming console and instantly began to play some type of brightly lit game full of small beeping noises. Kanako blinked before turning back to Mariya, who had now managed to calm himself to a semi-normal color.

“Well, I hope that lump on the back of your head doesn’t kill the few brain cells you have,” Kanako joked, crossing her arms. Mariya smirked, despite himself.

“Even if I had only a few brain cells, I would still have that many more than you, you stupid yuri girl.” Mariya said slyly, cocking his head to the side. Kanako just laughed, surprising Mariya. What had happened to the overemotional, uncontrollable mess of a girl he had left before vacation? How much could someone mature over a short break?

“Sure,” Kanako waved Mariya off, walking back over to her duffle. Kanako resumed humming happily as she continued to sort through her clothing, and Mariya tried to resume reading but instead ended up silently watching Kanako. The look on his face was one that only Matsurika could figure out.


	3. And so she departs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date.

 

“Field trip, field trip.” Kanako was prancing around the dorm room, grabbing a few last minute things and shoving them in her duffle. Mariya slowly opened one eye and looked at his alarm clock. He was very displeased with the early number that it read.

“Kanako,” He said sweetly. Kanako paused her tirade to look at her roommate happily.

“Yes, Mariya?” Kanako said, tucking a pair of black shorts into her bag.

“Would you SHUT THE HELL UP.” Mariya yelled, very put off. Kanako tutted her tongue.

“Now now, Mariya, is that the way you address your dearest roommate?”

“I WILL STRANGLE YOU.”

“Nothing you say will upset me today,” Kanako said confidently as she placed her hands on her hips, nodding in affirmation of her statement. Mariya glowered at the tall girl as she continued to sing _“Field trip!”_ and leap about, now collecting her school books. Mariya groaned, burying his face into his pillow.

“You need all of the beauty sleep you can get.” Matsurika stated simply, not looking up from the handheld game that she was playing. Mariya took a moment to glare at his maid before rolling to his side, pulling his sheets over his head.

“Where do you sleep, Matsurika?” Kanako asked, suddenly curious as to where the mysterious girl got her rest. Matsurika looked up at Kanako, her face cool and hard except for her eyes, which held an unnatural glint.

“How do you know I sleep?” She said softly, leaving a good space of silence before looking back down at her game and resuming it like nothing had happened. Kanako opened and closed her mouth, deciding not to look into the subject further. She began putting on her school uniform, humming the same happy tune she had been humming the day before. After a few minutes, Kanako had finished preparing herself and now slung her school bag, and her duffle bag, over her shoulders.

“I’m off!” Kanako said cheerily, shoving her feet into her shoes and opening the door. A tiny flurry of black dot’s seemed to move out of the way of the door as it was opened, receding into the shadows. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning! Bye!”Mariya jolted upright, a concerned look on his face.

“This early?” He asked, his voice still a bit hoarse from sleep. Kanako looked back at him, her eyebrows raised. Mariya cleared his throat and looked away, crossing his arms to try and act nonchalant.

“We have to load the buses early so we can make it to the first lecture,” Kanako explained, “Sachi texted me the details of the field trip before I went to bed last night.” Kanako pulled a light pink phone out of her pocket, tapping it against her shoulder for emphasis.

“Since when have you had a phone?” Mariya said, raising an eyebrow.

“Sachi gave it to me over summer break,” Kanako explained, putting the said phone back into the pocket of her skirt, “it’s kind of a contraband item, but it’s really useful to keep in contact with everyone in different dorms.”

“What’s your number?” Mariya said, feigning indifference while on the inside his heart was pounding a million miles a minute.

“My number?” Kanako asked, amused. “Why would you want to know that?”

“Nevermind, whatever, it’s not like I really wanted to know anyways.” Mariya spat quickly, his heart nearly pounding out of his chest.

“555-0153,” Kanako said anyways, adjusting one of the straps on her bag. “I’m telling you that now so you won’t say I didn’t in the future, and I’m not going to repeat it because I don’t want you to text me and ruin my mood.” Kanako then waved and shut the door behind her, leaving Mariya sitting upright in his bed, his face skewed in concentration,

“I remember her number, Mariya, in case that was what you were trying to remember now.” Matsurika’s game was on her lap and she watched her master with unchanging eyes. Mariya’s face twisted and he opened his mouth, but only a breath of air came out as he sighed and rubbed his eyes, pulling a yellow phone out from underneath his mattress.

“What was it? I can’t let that pig be on her own.”

 

\--

 

Kanako closed her phone with a snap, an annoyed growl emitting from her throat. The annoyance that she was feeling was from the most recent message she had received

 

_Don’t do anything stupid on this trip, you idiot._

_Mariya xx_

 

“What is it, Kanako?” Sachi Momoi asked from the bus seat beside Kanako. Kanako shook her head, allowing herself to smile at her cute friend.

“Nothing, I just wish this bus ride was quicker.”

“Me too,” Yuzuru chimed in from the seat in front of the two, “I hate long drives.” Yuzuru turned, her eyes glassy and her face a bit on the green side.

“Hang in there, Yuzuru!” Sachi said, giving her friend a reassuring fist pump into the air. Yuzuru nodded slowly, returning her gaze to the seat in front of her. Nanami sat calmly next to Yuzuru, filling out a sudoku puzzle. Kanako took a deep breath, looking at her friends. This trip was going to be fun, and she had a right to look forwards to it. Mariya wasn’t going to ruin her field trip from dozens of miles away.

 

\--

 

Mariya swung open the dorm door to be greeted with an empty room. This was a normal occurrence on many a given day, but today he had had to stay behind for archery club activities. Usually, if he were to return at this hour, the dorm room would contain a certain black haired girl. Mariya stood at the door frame for a moment, blinking at the sight of the room and the darkening sky outside, before shuffling to take off his shoes and slowly walking over to sit on his bed. Matsurika entered the room not a moment after, politely shutting the door and slipping off her shoes elegantly. Matsurika took up her seat at the foot of Mariya’s bed, watching her master with a blank face.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Mariya scoffed, “you’re creeping me out.” Matsurika wordlessly turned away, pulling out her trusty handheld gaming console and instantly resuming her game. Mariya pulled a book out from his school bag and opened it, taking a deep breath. A noticeably large swarm of some type of dark insect moved away from Mariya’s bag, hiding under his desk, but he was too engrossed with thought to notice them.

_Finally, some peace and quiet._

The alarm clock over Kanako’s bed ticked quietly, counting the minutes as they slowly passed.

_Tick_

_Tick_

_Tick_

Mariya let out a huff, putting his book down, he couldn’t concentrate. He looked at the empty bed opposite him, his brow furrowed. He didn’t feel comfortable at all.

“Matsurika,” He finally said.

“Hmm?” Matsurika didn’t look up from her game, her thumbs flying over the buttons.

“I want to sleep in the mansion tonight,” Mariya collected his bags and the few textbooks he would need for his homework from his desk, “I don’t want to sleep here.”

 

 


	4. A case of Insomnia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

The room the four friends were staying in was finely furnished, and they all agreed that the futons they were now sleeping in were very comfortable.

Well, almost all of them.

_Dear mother in heaven, if I’m exhausted, why can’t I sleep?_

Kanako was laying in her futon on the end of the row, next to Yuzuru. She was wide awake, a frown on her face. She was staying in a lovely hotel room next to three beautiful ladies, whom with she had had a wonderful day of lectures and sightseeing, but she couldn’t make herself fall asleep. The futon was itchy at best, and poor Kanako felt hot and stuffy. The room smelled like a candle store, but not in a good way, and the arrangement that the friends were laying in left no room for Kanako to accidentally roll into someone else’s futon like she had been hoping too ever since they planned so room together. After a few more minutes of tossing and turning, Kanako peeled back her futon and stood up, careful not to disturb Yuzuru, before walking out onto the small balcony that their hotel room contained. The cool night air bit her skin through her thin pj’s, but she didn’t mind it as she gazed off into the evening, looking at the city lights around her.

Kanako stuck her hands into her pyjama pants pockets after they got a bit too chilly, and was a bit surprised to find a rectangular object there. She pulled out her phone, and she remembered that she hid her phone in her pyjama pockets before the bag inspection they had had after checking into their rooms. Kanako flipped her phone open, the LED screen glowing softly as she clicked through her messages. A few were pictures that Sachi had taken earlier, and there was a text from Yuzuru when she had gotten lost at an ice cream stand earlier and couldn’t find the group. She had panicked, causing a huge scene and crying in front of the store owner. Kanako smiled a little bit as she remembered the absolute embarrassment Yuzuru felt when it turned out they were only in the shop next door.

Finally, Kanako stopped as the little blue bar scrolled over an unsaved number that opened to reveal Mariya’s message. Kanako hesitated as her thumb hovered over the delete button. Mariya had her number now, she knew that, might as well save his into her phone. After creating a new contact under the name “ _The Evil one_ ,” Kanako snapped her phone shut, tapping it against the railing of the balcony. Why couldn’t she sleep? Maybe she had developed insomnia, and would never sleep again, or maybe she had become a freak of nature that had developed the ability to-

Kanako felt her phone vibrate. Flicking it open again, Kanako smirked as the notification read,

 

_The Evil one has sent you a message_

 

It took a moment for what the notification actually said to process in Kanako’s mind, but when it did she frowned. Why had Mariya texted her again? Opening the message, Kanako scanned through it.

 

_Did you kill anyone today?_

_Mariya xx_

 

Kanako snorted a laugh, immediately coughing and looking around to make sure no one had heard her, before remembering she was standing alone on a balcony on the fourth story of a hotel. Kanako quickly tapped back a response.

 

_No, but I’m suspecting you did?_

_K_

 

After a moment, her phone vibrated again.

 

_K? What kind of a stupid auto-signature is that?_

_Mariya xx_

 

Kanako glared at her phone, hoping Mariya had somehow gotten her anger through the device.

 

_Sachi’s signature is just S, and at least mine doesn’t have random xx’s after it._

_K_

Kanako waited, her phone vibrating not a minute later.

 

_Excuse me, my auto-signature is adorable and feminine, it portrays my bubbly happy personality you idiot._

_Mariya xx_

Kanako glowered at her screen, her eyebrows raised in disbelief.

 

_Your auto-signature looks like you’re trying to send kisses over the phone._

_K_

 

Kanako’s thumb hit the send button a bit hard as she bit her lip, a bit irked off. Adorable? Please. Annoying? Yes. Kanako bounced up and down on the balls of her feet as she awaited the response to her message.

 

_Yours just looks like an affirmative. like_

_‘Hey, I’m texting’_

_‘K’_

_Mariya xx_

 

Kanako had to agree, it her auto-signature did look like a short handed affirmative, but why was that a bad thing?

 

_Why is that a bad thing?_

_K_

 

A few of the building lights in the distance began to flicker out, and Kanako made a game of trying to guess what those buildings were. A bakery, maybe? Or maybe it was a hair salon, where women all across the globe came just to get their hair trimmed by a specific person who had trained in the highest salon academies. Beautiful women, all done up, about to go to parties- Kanako’s phone buzzed.

 

_Why are kisses a bad thing?_

_Mariya xx_

 

Kanako let out an incredulous laugh.

 

_From you? I think they are._

_K_

Kanako began humming a little bit, tucking her hair behind her ear as the breeze sped up a bit around her, making her shiver. Kanako glanced at her phone a few times, starting to think she wasn’t going to get a text back.

 

_It’s late, I’m going to bed_

_Mariya xx_

 

Kanako stared at her phone for a minute in confusion, rereading the text a few times. Well, okay. Mariya really was acting kind of strange. After standing on the balcony for a bit longer, Kanako shut her phone, standing in silence for a few moments before turning and re-entering her hotel room. After tucking her phone under her pillow, Kanako curled up underneath her futon, finding it a bit easier to sleep.

 

\--

 

Mariya was laying on his back in his bed, staring at at his phone as he reread the text he just sent. Why would he say that? Groaning, Mariya closed his phone and threw it to the end of his bed, covering his eyes with his elbow. Unlike when he was in the girls dorm, Mariya wore a baggy t-shirt and a pair of boxers, his hair loose and laying around him. Matsurika was currently in her maid’s quarters, where, unknown to Kanako, she really did sleep. Mariya rolled onto his stomach, burying his head into his pillow. His room seemed painfully quiet, and also unnecessarily large. The vaulted ceilings only seemed to echo the silence back at him, the dark night outside of his window making the feel of the room almost eerie. In France, Mariya had gone nearly crazy with how quiet his room had gotten at night. This used to never be a problem for Mariya, in fact he used to love having his peace and quiet. But now, maybe from the amount of time he now had to spend with other people, he almost couldn’t stand it. He had been almost itching to come back-

A soft knock interrupted Mariya’s thoughts as his door slowly creaked open, revealing a pyjama clad Shizu.

“Can I come in?” She asked, stepping gently into the room despite a negative grunt coming from Mariya. Shizu carefully sat on the edge of Mariya’s bed, playing with the edge of his blanket.

“What do you want?” Mariya turned his head towards his twin. Shizu looked around Mariya’s room, taking her time to answer. Across from the bed sat a bookshelf full of pictures of the two of them since childhood, documenting the time before they switched genders and even a bit after. Among all of the photos sat one that stood out, one of a tall black haired girl that was smiling and waving, the way the picture was taken didn’t make it clear whether or not the girl knew she was getting her picture taken at all. “She knew,” Mariya answered, seemingly reading Shizu’s mind, “All dormmates had to give their picture to their roommate. I just stuck her’s here.” Shizu nodded, looking back at her brother.

“Speaking of here, why are you sleeping at home tonight?” She asked, turning her body so she was now sitting cross-legged on the bed. Mariya sighed.

“Kanako is gone, so I just wanted to sleep in my own bed. Am I not allowed to want to sleep in my own bed?”

“She’s on an overnight trip,” Shizu gazed out of the window next to Mariya’s bed, “didn’t you say you didn’t mind the dorm beds? Also,why go through the trouble of bringing all of your school work here? Wouldn’t it have been easier to do it at your desk at your dorm?” Mariya narrowed his eyes at Shizu.

“What are you trying to imply?”

“Nothing,” Shizu shook her head, picking at one of her nails.

“How did you know Kanako was on an overnight trip?”

“She texted me,” Shizu said simply. Mariya sat up quickly, startling Shizu.

“How long have you been texting her?” Mariya demanded. Shizu blinked at her brother.

“She texted me almost immediately after she got her phone, she got my number from the school offices. It’s amazing how great of a reception that thing has, her calls were crystal clear even from France, I wonder where Sachi got i-”

“You were calling her in France?!” Mariya exclaimed, almost sounding hurt. Shizu frowned.

“Of course, I missed one of my best friends.” Shizu huffed, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air. Mariya scowled, pulling his covers back over his head and laying back down.

“Whatever, could you just get out of my room?” Mariya said, his voice muffled. Shizu audibly exhaled, shaking her head. After a moment more of staring at the lump of her brother’s body. Shizu stood and made her exit from his room, turning off the lights along the way because she was a good person.

 

 


	5. A bit of a problem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

_Dear mother in heaven, sometimes we are sent trials to see how we manage through them. Please help your Kanako through this one._

“A bug infestation problem?” Kanako frowned, looking down at the dorm mistress as she shifted her duffle bag to her other shoulder.

“That’s right,” The dorm mistress said, standing in front of the entrance to the second girl’s dorm, “everyone in this dorm is being relocated to the third girl’s dorm until the problem is solved, unless you have somewhere else to stay, isn’t that right, Yonakuni?” Yonakuni barked, wagging his tail to agree with his owner. “School has also been cancelled for today due to this unfortunate set of circumstances so we can try to sort out the dorm arrangements, or other arrangements if you can stay somewhere else or someone invites you somewhere else, hmmm?”

“What kind of bug?” Kanako asked, “I have some clothing and a few books in there I kind of need, and if they’re some type of cloth or paper eating bug that’d be bad.” The dorm mistress just smiled, her eyes going dark for a second.

“Sometimes we shouldn’t worry about what kind of bug it is, right Yonakuni?” She said with a light lilt. Yonakuni again barked. Kanako’s face paled and she laughed nervously.

“Okay, thank you dorm mistress.” Kanako gave the small girl a wave as she walked away rather quickly, not wanting to upset her. On her way to the third girl’s dorm, Kanako’s phone began to ring.

“Hello?”

“Kanako?” It was Shizu.

“Shizu?” Kanako replied slowing her steps.

“Kanako!” Shizu answered happily, making Kanako smile. This girl always had a way of cheering her up. “I heard about what happened in the second girl’s dorm, that’s terrible! Where are you all staying?” Kanako sighed, the gate to the third girl’s dorm now in her line of vision, and completely crowded with a whole other dorm’s worth of girls. Oh wait, it was.

“We’re being relocated to the third girl’s dorm while the problem is being handled,” Kanako dodged a girl running by her, catching up with her friend at the gate, “It’s gonna be tight, but there's not much else we can really do.”

“Come stay at the mansion!” Shizu blurted excitedly, making Kanako stop walking.

“Huh?”

“Come stay at my house!” Shizu’s voice made it apparent that the girl was bouncing up and down in excitement.

“I couldn’t,” Kanako frowned, “what about your parents?”

“They’re never home,” Shizu explained, “I sleep here because I could never sleep in the boy’s dorms, and ever since Mariya moved out I’ve been almost completely alone.” Kanako gasped.

“I’m so sorry Shizu, that sounds lonely!” Kanako had turned and began subconsciously walking towards the other end of the school grounds where the Shidou mansion lay.

“Oh don’t worry about it!” Shizu laughed, “It’s really nice most of the time, and I’m happy I could be here to offer it in a time like this!” Kanako smiled at the girl’s positivity.

“I’m walking there now,” Kanako picked up her pace, “Are you sure that this is okay?”

“Yeah! I can have a word with the dorm mistress if that’s needed.” Shizu said.

“I think she’ll be fine with it, to be perfectly honest,” Kanako grinned.

“Mariya is still asleep, so I have yet to break the news on him that he’ll have to stay here as well,” Shizu was now visible, standing in front of the main entranceway to the Shidou manor wearing her school uniform for the boy’s school across the campus. Kanako paused, registering that comment for a moment.

“Oh yeah, Mariya.” Kanako frowned, “Did he sleep here last night?” Kanako could see Shizu’s head nod as she walked closer, still out of the girl’s line of vision.

“Yeah.” Shizu now spotted Kanako and began waving excitedly. Kanako laughed at the girl’s enthusiasm, and quickly put her phone away. It made sense that Mariya would sleep here. She wasn’t in the dorm so there was no reason for him to be there. It felt a bit strange remembering that Mariya had absolutely no need to stay in the dorm, and could leave at any time he wanted to.

“Hey, Shizu,” Kanako greeted her friend with a hug.

“Hey!” Shizu giggled, “Follow me, you can dump your bags in my room.” Kanako’s nose began to heat up. She would be seeing Shizu’s room for the first time. No, Kanako, calm down. After heading up a flight of stairs, going down a long hallway and passing many rooms, Shizu finally stopped and opened the door on the left, revealing that it led into a large ornate pearl room with a huge canopied king-sized bed in the center. The carpeting was lush and swallowed Kanako’s feet as she stepped into the room. Her stockings were in her bag because she was too tired to put them on this morning, and the carpeting against her bare feet was luxurious. Kanako placed her few bags in a small pile in a corner of the huge room, barely taking up a few feet of space. Shizu placed her finger to her lips and tiptoed across the wide hallway, stopping and quietly pushing open the door that was opposite her own.

On the other side of the door lay a room equally as large and spacious as Shizu’s, but this one was a bit more modern looking, with sleeker lines and more cream tones. A large black bed was pushed up against the far right corner, a figure distinguishable out of the heap of sheets and blankets. Shizu approached the bed carefully, motioning for Kanako to follow her. In the bed lay a sleeping Mariya, his face peaceful, and small, light, airy snores emitting from his mouth. Kanako was greeted with the scent she had become all too familiar with within the past year, and subconsciously she took a deep breath, instantly relaxing as she savored the smell. Shizu tapped on Mariya’s cheek, and his face twitched, but he continued to sleep. Shizu knew that Kanako broke out in hives when she touched a male, so she motioned for Kanako to shake Mariya’s shoulder through the blanket. Kanako was confused as to why they were going through so much effort to wake Mariya up, but she figured that Shizu must miss doing this to her brother so she went along with it. After a moment of shaking, and then shaking a bit harder, Mariya’s mouth broke open in a yawn, and his back arched in a stretch, before he slowly fluttered his eyes open, his long eyelashes catching the morning light as he focused in on the face in front of him.

“Kanako?” He asked, his voice rough from sleep. Kanako felt her face grow a bit warm from the sound, though she didn’t know why.

“GOOD MORNING BROTHER!” Shizu suddenly bellowed, grabbing Mariya’s blankets, twisting them, and then yanking them so both the sheets and the occupant sleeping in them were suddenly whisked from the bed.

“DAMN IT SHIZU!” Mariya yelled right back as Shizu cackled, leaping out of the room to avoid her sibling’s wrath. Mariya turned in a state of fury and Kanako threw her hands to the sky.

“I was unaware of the plan!” She squeaked as Mariya grew closer. Kanako slowly backed up until she felt her back hit the wall and she mentally cursed.

Mariya drew closer until he was standing in front of Kanako, his face directly in front of hers. It took a moment for Kanako to process Mariya wearing clothing a boy would actually wear, seeing as she had always seen him in corsets and skirts. He had also grown a bit over the summer, bringing him closer to her height and therefore closer to her face in this current situation. Kanako’s breath hitched as Mariya placed his hands on either side of her, not touching her but caging her in his grasp. If she weren’t actually in the current situation she almost would have laughed at the move, but he knew what he was doing, she couldn’t move without touching him and getting hives. He moved his head down a bit, tilting it so his mouth was directly by her ear. Kanako shivered as his breath hit her neck, creating a strange sensation throughout her body. His scent was overwhelming from this proximity, and it was making Kanako light headed.

“Then why were you in my room waking me up?” Mariya asked, his voice still a bit coarse from sleep. Kanako swallowed, her breathing uneven. What the hell was happening? Mariya moved just ever so closer, his skin millimeters away from hers as he blew on her neck, his face close enough that Kanako could feel her skin anticipate his touch. Her bare legs trembled as his legs leaned around them, trapping them. As he leaned in, his chest brushed with hers as he inhaled, the layers of clothing rubbing against each other. Kanako gulped, a surge of some sort of raw emotion coursing through her. Where was this coming from? What was he doing, and why was it doing this to her? Kanako closed her eyes, nearly unable to take this any longer.

“Mariya!” Shizu shouted from the doorframe, making Mariya jump away from Kanako, and making Kanako snap her eyes open and look at Shizu. “Stop bullying Kanako!” Mariya looked at Kanako, his eyes unreadable.

“I’m going to go eat some breakfast,” He said boredly, walking past Shizu and out of sight, his footsteps audible going down the stairs.

When Mariya reached the kitchen, he grasped the counter and took several deep breaths. What the hell was wrong with him? Why had he done that? He had nearly lost control when he had her there, her breath hitting his neck, her eyes half closed and her - damn it, damn it stop thinking like that Mariya. Mariya pounded a glass of cold water, his heart still beating fast. He really couldn’t help it. She had woken him up so gently, her face so close to his, his mind had just been sent reeling and he really couldn’t think straight. After a few more glasses of water, Mariya felt a bit better and looked at the clock, not at all surprised to see that they were late to school. Why was Kanako here, anyway? Also, why wasn’t she worried about making it to school? A few minutes later, Shizu came barreling down the stairs, her books scattered in a mess in her arms as she ran hurriedly out the door to the boys school, now several minutes late. Calmly after her came Kanako, no longer in her uniform but now dressed in a tank top and a pair of Shizu’s shorts. Kanako cleared her throat awkwardly and stood by the counter.

“Um, could I have a glass of water?” She asked after a second, rubbing her arms as she waited for Mariya to respond. Mariya watched Kanako carefully, smirking as she avoided his gaze.

“What’s the matter?” Mariya asked, getting up and getting out a cup for Kanako, filling it and then walking over and setting it in front of her at a teasingly slow speed. Kanako rolled her eyes and grabbed it from him, taking a few swigs before setting it down and turning towards the blonde.

“The second girl’s dorm was infested with some type of bug,” Kanako frowned, “I’m not sure what kind. We don’t have school today because all of the members of the second girl’s dorm are being transferred to the third girl’s dorm until they can figure out the problem, but Shizu offered to let me stay here instead.” Mariya frowned as well, but for slightly different reasons than not knowing what the bug was.

“So, are you staying in Shizu’s room then?” Mariya asked. Kanako nodded, a dreamy smile finding it’s way onto her lips.

“It’ll be like one big sleepover, in which we study together, share secrets, maybe move on to more.” Kanako sighed, her eyes foggy until they suddenly snapped to a very real Mariya, now back at standing at an uncomfortably close distance to her.

“I’m not sure I should let you talk that way about my sister,” Mariya breathed into her ear, making Kanako shudder. Damn it. Mariya turned and walked away, taking his glass of water with him as he left a breathless and confused Kanako leaning against the kitchen counter.

 

 


	6. Surviving the First Day at the House

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

The majority of the rest of the day was spent on homework and studying for Kanako, who had gotten a packet of work over her “field trip” that she had to complete on Japanese History. Shizu had texted her to let her know that she could use her desk, much to Kanako’s pleasure. Sachi, Yuzuru and apparently Nanami (according to Yuzuru, anyway) were all worried about Kanako, but she had just told them that Mariya had “graciously invited her to stay at her house because she insisted she was worried about her roommate” and they all instantly accepted that as she was fine now and stopped worrying over her. Kanako, however, had started worrying. Every small noise made her jump, and she kept whipping her head around, expecting to see Mariya sneaking into the room to try and scare her. So far, nothing had happened, but after this morning she couldn’t let her guard down. Kanako’s heart started to race and she began to flush as she began remembering his face, so close to hers, and the way his voice- wait, no no no. This was weird.

Kanako shook her head quickly, gripping her pencil tightly between her fingers as she pressed it hard against the paper, willing the thoughts to go away. _Think of Sachi laughing, think of Sachi laughing_. Her led broke, unsurprisingly, and Kanako gave up with a frustrated growl, throwing the pencil on to her desk. The sky was getting dark outside, but Kanako knew Shizu had Student council responsibilities so she wasn’t expecting her friend to be be home until later that night. Kanako rubbed her eyes, stretching out a crick in her neck as she surveyed the hefty portion of the packet that she had finished. Hard work did pay off sometimes, Kanako grinned triumphantly as she counted only 3 more unfinished pages.

Just as she got out a new pencil and was about to get to work finishing up the packet, a very loud growl emitted from Kanako’s stomach. Thinking back and realizing that all she had had that day was breakfast at the hotel and a glass of water, Kanako decided she should probably eat something. Cautiously opening Shizu’s door, Kanako peered out into the dark hallway, making sure the coast was clear before she darted across the carpeting and down the large staircase, coming to a stop in the kitchen where she ever so lightly crouched and began treading towards the large refrigerator.

“What are you doing?” A voice came from behind her, and Kanako let out a short cry, whipping around to find Mariya sitting at the breakfast nook, a book in one hand and half of a sandwich in the other. Mariya looked so casual, and just so normal Mariya, Kanako forgot that she was supposed to be afraid of her roommate. Clutching her heart, Kanako let some of her adrenaline wear off before she grabbed an apple off of the counter, walked over to where her roommate sat, and took the seat opposite him in the booth. “Did I say you could sit down?” Ignoring that comment, Kanako gazed at the other half of Mariya’s sandwich on his plate poutily. Mariya watched Kanako as she took a large bite of her apple, never taking her eyes off of his sandwich. Sighing, Mariya slid the plate to her, watching as her face lit up at the food. Mariya cracked a small grin, despite himself, as the girl discarded her apple and happily bit into the sandwich, eating the entire thing within a matter of moments.

“I was hungry,” Kanako finally explained, wiping her mouth. Mariya sat, one eyebrow raised as he lazily brought his sandwich to his mouth, slowly taking a bite and chewing.

“You really are a sow, aren’t you?” Mariya asked as he cocked his head to the side, his hair falling with it. He was now dressed in a pair of loose sweats and a t-shirt, looking completely un-Mariya-ish yet completely in his element at the same time. Kanako felt her face grow hot.

“I am not!” She scowled. The speed at which she ate was sometimes a very touchy subject for Kanako. “Hey,” Kanako frowned, “Where’s Matsurika?” Mariya sighed and put his book down. He was never able to read with this girl around.

“She’s spending the day with the dorm mistress, for some reason,” Mariya took a sip from a glass of water in front of him, “The two of them are strangely close.” Kanako nodded, looking around at the kitchen for the first time. It was nice and big, with vaulted ceilings and sturdy granite counter tops.

“Does Matsurika sleep here?” Kanako asked casually, hoping that the question that had been plaguing her thoughts would be answered. Mariya chuckled, eating the last bite of his sandwich and washing it down with the rest of his water, looking at Kanako.

“I don’t know, why don’t you try asking her again?” He said, obviously knowing the answer. Kanako let out an unhappy grunt, brushing the crumbs off of her hands and wiping her mouth again before moving to stand up. “You missed a few,” Mariya said. Without thinking, he stuck his hand out and gently used his thumb to wipe a few missed specks of bread off of Kanako’s chin. His finger grazed her lower lip, making Kanako freeze, her eyes widen. She felt the subtle red lumps begin to form down her neck from the point of contact, but she was unable to pull away as Mariya, who had by now realized what he had done, had also stopped moving and was staring back at Kanako.

The two were locked in a battle of who would move first, the assaulter or the assaulted, but neither really wanted too. After a few minutes, Mariya moved his hand to meet Kanako’s cheek, a strange sound coming out of the back of her throat at this contact. She wouldn’t admit it to herself, but the feel of Mariya’s skin touching hers was suddenly addicting. Without warning, Mariya began running his thumb along Kanako’s lip, making her let out an embarrassing pant before snapping her mouth shut. She was burning, her entire body now aching for more of Mariya’s touch. Kanado inhaled sharply as Mariya tangled his other hand in her hair, playing with the soft black strands.

Mariya’s breathing was just as, if not more, labored than Kanako’s was. His entire body was coursing with the desire to lean forwards and-

“I’m home!” Shizu sang loudly as the front door shut. Mariya whipped his hands back from Kanako, picking up his book, opening it, and kicking up his feet to make it look as if he had been sitting that way all along. Kanako blinked, coming to her senses and immediately jumping up and bounding over to the entranceway of the kitchen to greet Shizu.

“Hi!” She said, just a bit too enthusiastically, receiving Shizu’s hug politely.

“I’m sorry I was so late, the student council insisted that we had to make all of these plans for the school year, talk about the trip we're taking together, and revise the menu’s for the cafeteria.” Shizu apologized, unbuttoning her collar and taking in a deep breath of relief at the freedom that her neck now had. “You can head back up to my room if you want Kanako, I’ll bring us up something to eat.” Kanako nodded her head, instantly turning and running up the stairs, desperate to get out of the kitchen. Shizu turned to Mariya, a look of displeasement on her face. “Were you bullying Kanako again?” She asked, her hand on her hip. Mariya looked up at his sister with a neutral expression.

“No, I wasn’t.” He said, gripping his book a bit tighter. “I was reading and she was eating an apple, when you came home. We barely even spoke to each other.”

“What are you reading?” Shizu then asked, her eyebrows raising.

“It’s a book for school,” Mariya said, “Not that you would understand it, I think it’s too complicated for someone like you.”

“Why is it upside down?”

_Shit._

 

\--

 

Kanako was pacing in Shizu’s room, slapping her cheeks and shaking her head, trying to clear her thoughts. The hives were no more than a few red dots along her wrists, not that they were even that bad to begin with. Kanako could still feel his fingers on her, and found herself imagining them tracing her body… making her slap her cheeks even harder. No, no, no.

“Knock knock,” Shizu called from outside the room, making Kanako halt in her nervous pacing and throw herself onto Shizu’s bed, hiding her ruddy cheeks for just a moment longer until they could calm down. She heard Shizu open, the door, something clinking. After she was sure her face had cooled, Kanako looked up to see Shizu setting a tray with two sandwiches and a pot of tea on a small white floor table a few feet away from the foot of the bed. She was still a bit hungry, even after that half of a sandwich downstairs, and got up to eat with Shizu. After they had settled cross legged in front of the food and tea, Shizu smiled at Kanako.

“So, what did you do today with no school?” She asked, pouring the steaming liquid into two mugs. Kanako shrugged as she took one of them, wrapping her hands around the warm ceramic.

“I mostly worked on a homework packet, nothing special.”

“Ah, that sounds,” Shizu paused, trying to think of a term, “interesting?” She finally decided, looking disappointed that that was the best she could come up with. Kanako laughed, happy that she could relax with the girl in front of her. “Oh! Also, you can sleep in a guest room if you want,” Shizu smiled, “or I  could have Rindou move a futon in here for you.”

“I think a futon in here would be lovely.” Kanako was a bit disappointed Shizu hadn’t offered for them to both sleep in Shizu’s bed together, but not everything could be perfect.

“Wonderful,” Shizu pulled out her phone, sending a quick message before snapping it shut. A few minutes later, Rindou appeared at the door, a rolled futon on his back that he quickly laid out, decking it out with much to many pillows and several blankets, and taking his time to do so. “Thank you, Rindou.” Shizu finally said quite loudly, causing her butler to look up, giving her a boyish grin.

“Of course, _Shizu_.” He gave an over-exaggerated bow, exiting the room in a blink. Kanako gave Shizu a confused look, and she just let out an annoyed sigh.

“This is Rindou’’s way of throwing a temper tantrum,” She explained, “I made the offhanded comment a few days ago that he wasn’t very butler-y, and he took it as, well, this I guess.” Kanako nodded her head, still a bit confused.

After the two girls stayed up for a while longer, talking about school and homework, they both decided that since it was a school night they should probably go to bed. Kanako crashed into her futon, a bit shocked to find that her sheets held that floral spice scent that could only be found in one place.

“I think Rindou took those sheet’s from Mariya’s room,” Shizu said after a moment of examining Kanako’s futon. “I’ll ask him to bring different sheets.”

“No, this is fine,” Kanako said a bit quickly, grasping on to the sheets around her without realizing it. “I don’t want to disturb Rindou when these sheets work fine.” She reasoned, trying to convince herself that that was why she didn’t want to switch out the sheets. Shizu hesitated, finally accepting Kanako’s answer and turning out the lights, climbing into her own bed.

“Goodnight, Kanako.” Shizu said through a yawn, nearly making Kanako swoon from the cuteness.

“Goodnight, Shizu.” Kanako took a deep breath, inhaling the scent that cocooned her and letting out a contented sigh.

 

 


	7. The Father's 6th love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

_Dear mother in heaven, I could die and join you right now of happiness._

“Good morning, Kanako!” A sweet, chirpy voice called out. Kanako blinked open her eyes, squinting at the overabundance of morning light that she was bathed in. Her vision finally focused in on a pretty blonde standing over her, already in school uniform.

“Good morning, Shizu.” Kanako grinned. Finally, a morning wake up that was enjoyable. Kanako felt her nose give a twitch, a feeling that she had been training herself to suppress for several weeks. _Oh, the cuteness was too much to handle._

“I’m going to go start making breakfast, I left you with a bit of time to get ready and get dressed for school. I had Rindou wash your uniform for you last night so it would be fresh for you this morning.” Shizu ticked things off of her fingers, “Oh yeah! Could you also wake up Mariya for me? His alarm is broken, and Matsurika has mysteriously disappeared…” Shizu frowned as she thought about this. “I guess she was with the dorm mistress, maybe they went off somewhere?” Shizu was mumbling to herself as she left the room, her voice fading as she walked down to the kitchen. Kanako lay happily for a few more seconds, enjoying the warmth of her futon and the sun shining in through the large bay windows.

Before processing what Shizu had said,

Groaning loudly, Kanako covered her face with her hands. Why her? Mariya was the last person she wanted to see right now. When she was around him, she felt strange, so last night she had come up with a new battle strategy: avoid him at all costs. That had sounded brilliant in her head, but it was already falling apart. Begrudgingly rising to her feet, Kanako crossed the hallway and entered the enemy’s chambers. The curtains were drawn over the large windows on the wall opposite the door and Kanako almost said _aha!_ aloud. All she had to do was open the windows, and the light would surely wake Mariya up.

The light didn’t wake Mariya up.

He slept soundly, his body gently rising and falling as he breathed, his long eyelashes fanning out over his cheekbones. The nearly silent airy snores he emitted filled the room, making Kanako glare at him. Alright, fine. She approached his bed as one would approach a sleeping beast, reached out, and gently shook his shoulder. This was the way she had woken him up the day before, so surely it must work the same now.

It didn’t work the same now.

“Mariya!” Kanako shouted at the boy, shaking him harder. Kanako kicked Mariya’s bed, watching the sleeping blonde. Why, in the dorms, was he always awake before she was? It was impossible to wake him up. Kanako sat, defeated, on the side of his bed. Kanako began humming as she thought, swaying back and forth on the bed.

“Stop it,” A grumble escaped from the shape underneath the sheets.

“Mariya?” Kanako asked, jumping to her feet.

“Who else could it be, you idiot?” Mariya replied, slowly sitting up and stretching his arms.

“Seriously? The humming woke you up?” Kanako demanded in disbelief, shaking her head. “I’m going to go finish getting ready for school, which is an action you should do as well.” Kanako exited the room, resuming her humming. Mariya watched her leave with a straight face, calmly getting out of bed and getting ready for school all with the same emotion plastered on. He ended up having to ask Rindou for help with his corset at one point, which resulted in a few bruised ribs and a lot of cursing from both ends. After he had finished his preparations, the blonde descended to eat breakfast, and then walk to school with his roommate.

 

\--

 

“You’re never this quiet,” Mariya narrowed his eyes at Kanako as the two of them walked side by side down the cobblestone pathway to the school. Kanako gulped as she stared straight ahead, her body approximately five feet away from where Mariya was walking.

“W-what are you talking about?” She laughed nervously, clutching her schoolbag. She needed to stick with her plan from last night. It was so hard when Mariya kept looking at her, her heart speeding up each time he would- _stick with the plan. No Mariya._

“Hey, idiot, watch where you’re going!” Mariya yelled out a moment too late as Kanako collided with someone.

“Wh-” Kanako looked up and her face blanched, a look of pure terror developing.

“Kanako?” A certain priest asked, holding the girl by her arms. Father Kanae looked at the girl in front of him with a sharp eye, noticing the bright red dots that were now crawling all over her skin. “Kanako-san! Have you contracted some type of disease over the summer?! Is it from the bug infestation that took over your dorms?” Father Kanae shook the poor girl, her voice gone from sheer horror. “Do you need a place to stay? My door is always open to you, Kanako! You may live with me until your arrangements are more suitable!” Father Kanae looked over Kanako once more, his eyes sparking.

Had...had Kanako become more attractive over the summer? No no, Kanako was a poor unfortunate girl who was borne in a way that made her unattractive, but, why did she look so tantalizing now? He felt his mind begin to reel. He had never thought this way about Kanako, but now, holding her in his arms at that moment felt like fate. Exactly like fate, destiny even. Why was he just realizing this now? Had the summer changed something within him? Had the summer changed her?

Just then, he heard the giggle of his angel, and looked over to be greeted with the sight of Shidou Mariya.

“Father,” He sang, “please, Kanako is staying with me now. She is in perfectly capable hands.” Father Kanae looked from the limp girl in his hands to Mariya, his face slowly growing bright red.

“O-of course, Shidou,” He said, still not letting go of Kanako. Mariya recognized the glint forming in the father’s eyes. _Oh don’t you dare you asshole. I will snap your neck._

“Father,” Mariya forced a smile onto his face, fire burning in his eyes, “I can take Kanako from here.” Father Kanae looked confused for a moment, before his eyes widened.

“OH! Yes, of course,” The Father dropped Kanako, immediately turning and walking at an impossibly fast pace back the way he had come. Kanako stood up, dazed. She stumbled forwards a few steps before Mariya caught her, much to her surprise.

“We should take you to the infirmary,” Mariya said offhandedly, his face not revealing anything he was thinking. Kanako’s head was spinning, but she was still completely bewildered by the blonde that was guiding her under her arm now. Mariya directed Kanako once they were inside of the building, even going so far as to sit her down safely in the nurse’s office and explain to the nurse that she wasn’t feeling well. Was she dreaming?

As she lay in a cot, Kanako stared at the ceiling, trying to figure Mariya out. Why was that jerk acting so, so, nice? Why was he so careful when helping her, and the biggest mystery of all, why were her hives from Father Kanae going away after Mariya’s touch? Kanako sighed, her eyes drooping. She was tired, even though it was just morning. She felt nauseous and disoriented from her bump with Father Kanae, and decided she might as well try to sleep it off. The clean linens around her were stiff as she rolled around, finding it difficult to make herself comfortable. After what seemed like hours, Kanako finally nodded off into a fitful sleep.

 

\--

 

Mariya had already explained to Kanako’s friends that she didn’t feel good and couldn’t make it to class, but at lunch they continued to bombard him with questions. Feeling his facade cracking, Mariya excused himself and found himself wandering towards the infirmary. Deciding he might as well check in on Kanako, Mariya sighed and entered the room. The nurse wasn’t there, most likely getting her own lunch. Mariya sat in a chair beside Kanako’s cot, watching her as he began to think. Father Kanae had been looking at Kanako with, that look, earlier. How on earth could he ever give a pig like her the same look he gave an angel like Mariya? What did he see in Kanako, anyways? Did he find her attractive? How amusing. Who would ever want Kanako? Mariya snorted as he looked at the girl sleeping in front of him, her eyes scrunched closed and her breathing heavy.

“No,” She suddenly said, shaking her head, “no, n-no.” Mariya leaned forwards, alarmed. Kanako was having a nightmare. Mariya tentatively put his hand out on the girls shoulder, shaking it lightly, but with no result. Without quite knowing why, Mariya then gently placed his hand on her cheek, stroking her hair back from her sweaty skin. Kanako’s face relaxed as she leaned into Mariya’s touch, murmuring something that sounded like Mariya, and making his face go bright red. Mariya sat for a minute, playing with Kanako’s hair as her breathing evened out. He looked at the sleeping girl, feeling the strong urge to lean down and- what? Mariya yanked his hand back, leaning back in his chair with a look of fright. Nope, that was enough. Mariya quickly stood, walking out of the nurse’s office with brisk, stiff strides as he began to head to the class he had after lunch.

 

\--

 

Kanako awoke at the sound of the end of lunch bell, surprised that she had slept that long. She remembered having some type of nightmare that contained a large laughing Father Kanae, but suddenly she had gotten this happy warm feeling while sleeping and all she could think of past that point was- wait. Kanako frowned. She couldn’t remember. Deciding it was about time to head back to class, Kanako stood and grabbed her school bag, knowing the nurse would see she was gone when she came back from her lunch break.

 

 


	8. Another field trip?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You few who are reading this, you are the reason I am writing it xx  
> Three cheers for the tiny fandoms  
> *hurrah*  
> *hurrah*  
> *hurrah*
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

“Are you feeling any better?” Mariya asked Kanako as they walked home from school. Kanako looked at him suspiciously, inching just a bit farther away. She had to keep reminding herself to stick with her plan.

“Yeah, I am actually.” Kanako cocked her head to the side, “I took a nap, and I felt a lot better when I woke up. I don’t know why, though.” Because Kanako had resumed staring straight ahead, she didn’t notice when Mariya’s cheeks turned a bright pink, and his eyes widened.

“Ah,” was all he said. After that, the pair walked in silence back to the Shidou Manor.

“We’re home!” Kanako called out after they had taken their shoes off, walking past the kitchen and beginning her ascent to the second floor.

“Welcome back!” Shizu responded, her voice coming from her room. Kanako happily skipped in, but froze when she saw the suitcase laid out on her friend’s bed.

“Are you going somewhere?” Kanako asked, cautiously stepping towards the partially full bag. Shizu emerged from her closet, carrying a variety of t-shirts and shorts, amongst a few more school uniform jackets.

“Yeah,” She grunted, throwing the large pile on top of the clothes she already had packed. Shizu turned towards Kanako, a look of distress on her face. “I’m so sorry, the student council has been talking about going on a field trip for a while now, I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon.” Kanako felt her heart drop to her feet.

“Where are you guys going?” She asked, trying to sound cheery.

“Someplace up north,” Shizu folded some of her pants, “for a little over a week.” Kanako blinked, staring at her friend in disbelief.

“A week?” She asked, her voice breaking into concern. Shizu halted, looking at Kanako with teary eyes.

“I’m so sorry! I invited you to stay here and I’m leaving only a few days after!” Shizu sniffed, stepping forwards and hugging her friend. “I’ll try to return as soon as I can!” Kanako hugged her back, still staring at the wall in shock. There were a lot of field trips occurring at the beginning of the school year, apparently.

“Aren’t you worried about being discovered?” Kanako asked as Shizu stepped away, continuing to pack.

“I reserved my own room in our hotel,” She explained, continuing to sniffle and make Kanako’s heart break at the sight of this beauty being sad. “I’ll call you every day, okay?” Kanako nodded, her legs feeling weak.

“When are you leaving?” Kanako asked the next burning question.

“Tomorrow night,” Shizu sighed, sticking another chest binder in the top compartment of her suitcase. “It seems so sudden because I’ve been a dolt about it. We’ve been talking about this trip since before summer break, I just never paid attention to the dates. That’s why I have to speed pack now.”

“An absolute dolt.” Rindou stepped out of the closet carrying another bag. Shizu frowned at her butler.

“I know, I know! No need to point it out again.” She mumbled, shutting her suitcase and zipping it. Kanako sat down on Shizu’s bed, swinging her legs. “You can sleep in my bed after I leave if you want to,” Shizu said, hefting the heavy bag to the ground for Rindou to pick up. Kanako couldn’t help herself from having a moment of bliss. She would get to sleep in Shizu’s bed? Was that the silver lining to this dark cloud?

“Why is Rindou carrying a bunch of bags downstairs?” Mariya asked, leaning against the doorframe. Kanako’s singular moment of happiness shattered. Oh yeah, she was stuck here with Mariya. Shizu began explaining the situation to Mariya as Rindou grabbed the last suitcase, hauling it out of the room with a deft finality.

“I’m going to be gone for a little while,” Shizu finished, running her hand through her hair in exasperation. “I swear, Mariya, don’t do anything to Kanako.” Kanako felt her face go pink at this comment, whipping her head towards the twins.

“I’ve been roommates with her for over a year,” Mariya raised an eyebrow, “If I’d have wanted to do anything, I would have done it by now.” Kanako frowned. That was true.

“Anyways,” Shizu brushed off her hands on her pants, “Rindou has just started making dinner, and I’m sure the two of you have homework.” Kanako’s frown deepened. This was also true. Mariya sighed and waved Shizu off, heading back to his own room. “I’m going to go help Rindou with dinner, I’ll call you down when it’s ready.” Shizu then left the room, heading down to the kitchen.

Kanako pulled out her textbooks and began flipping through them to search for that day’s assignment, but she was having a hard time focusing. Her mind kept wandering to the fact that Shizu was leaving the next night, and she didn’t know how to handle that information. There was one more day until the weekend, and without school, or Shizu, Kanako didn’t know what she was going to do. She could probably ask Sachi or Yuzuru if they wanted to go off campus…

“Hey, you okay?” Mariya was standing over Shizu’s desk, a worried look on his face. Kanako jumped, startled, before putting her hand over her heart and looking at Mariya.

“When did you come in?” She asked, her adrenaline pumping.

“Shizu’s been calling your name for about five minutes,” Mariya raised an eyebrow, “dinner’s ready.” Mariya had taken off his corset and changed into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Unlike Shizu, who always insisted on wearing slippers inside of the house, Mariya just walked barefooted. Kanako cleared her throat and shuffled her papers together, a tinge of red rising to her face.

“Oh, okay, I’m coming.” She tucked her pencil into one of her books, standing and brushing off her skirt. Mariya walked with Kanako to the kitchen, watching her face carefully.

“Today we made fish broth with rice and pickled daikon!” Shizu exclaimed proudly as Mariya and Kanako entered the kitchen.

“Actually, I made everything and Shizu tasted it,” Rindou proclaimed just as loudly, making Shizu hit him on the shoulder. Kanako smiled, taking a seat at the dark oak table in the room adjacent to the kitchen. Rindou carried everything over and set it in the center of the table while Mariya sat across from Kanako and Shizu took the seat at the head of the table. Rindou served the food graciously, standing with his hands clasped before him behind Shizu when he was done.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Kanako asked after they had all said thanks for the food and began eating.

“A good butler eats only after his master has finished and the table has been cleared.” Rindou said, saluting. Shizu rolled her eyes, having given up on trying to convince Rindou that he didn’t need to act so dramatic. After dinner had been finished, and the table had been cleared, Shizu stood sadly.

“I’m leaving before dinner tomorrow,” she said, “I’ll miss you, but I’ll text you a lot, okay?” Kanako stood and hugged her friend, mournfully letting go.

“Bye, sis, see ya later.” Mariya said blandly, ruining the tender moment.

“I’m not leaving until tomorrow.” Shizu huffed, crossing her arms and marching out of the room. Rindou followed her, bowing as he made his leave. Shizu’s bedroom door audibly slammed. Kanako stood silently for a minute, before she turned towards Mariya and gave an awkward smile.

“So, just us for the next week, huh?” She said, squeezing her hands together. Mariya inspected her with those burning crimson eyes, not saying a word. Kanako began making her way back upstairs.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“I have to finish my homework,” Kanako lied, knowing she was going to get no homework done that night. She ran up the rest of the steps and closed the door to Shizu’s room, her breathing heavy.

How was she going to survive the next week?

  
  


\--

  
  


_Dear Mother in Heaven, is this another trial?_

Kanako hid behind Sachi as they walked back to class from lunch, trying to avoid the sweeping gaze of a certain priest that now roamed the halls. Kanako cursed her height as she crouched, carefully walking in step with her friend, who was babbling happily about a new shipment of screwdrivers that she was going to have delivered tomorrow. Kanako had first heard that Father Kanae was looking for her from Kumagai-sensei, and next from Yuzuru. He had apparently stopped her on her way into school and asked to know where Kanako was, but Yuzuru hadn’t actually known. Once they were safely inside of the classroom, Kanako quickly sat in her desk and pulled out her phone, holding it out of sight as she sent a message to Shizu.

 

_Father Kanae is looking for me, what is it this time I wonder?_

_K_

Kanako was about to close her phone, but she suddenly got a message response.

 

_Does he still think he reminds you of your ‘brother?’_

_Just ignore him, I’ll yell at Mariya for you, just focus on avoiding him for now._

_SHIZU_

Kanako smiled, closing her phone and slipping it into her skirt pocket. She was thankful to have Shizu as a friend, and she didn’t know what she would do when she left tonight. For now, Kanako just focused on Kumagai-sensei and on working out the math problems in front of her. After math, and a bit of geography, the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Kanako collected her books and waited for her friends, before exiting the classroom. Nanami was talking about something to do with that night’s homework assignment when someone grabbed Kanako’s hand, pulling her away from the group and around the corner. Kanako was about to shriek when she turned to see Mariya, a finger pressed to his lips as he motioned towards the rapidly approaching priest, apparently dead set on reaching the group of girls.

“Excuse me,” He stopped them, holding up a gloved hand. Sachi let out a yelp of surprise, whipping her head towards the priest. Father Kanae bowed his head in apology, grabbing his rosary. “Have you seen your friend Kanako, by any chance?”

“Why yes, she was right here a moment ago,” Yuzuru answered calmly, a small crease appearing on her forehead. “I do wonder where she went. Why? is something wrong?” The Father’s face flushed a red color, not unlike the color of a ripe tomato. He himself did not know why he needed to see the tall girl so urgently, but he felt a hole in his heart at the absence of his beautiful Kanako. Wait, beautiful? Is that how he saw her? No, he mustn't think that way, she saw him as an older brother, but if he was acting as her brother, was this a sister complex?

The three friends cautiously moved around the stilled figure of the Father, continuing their walk out of the school. Kanako and Mariya were pressed against the wall just around the corner, not three feet away from the priest. Mariya silently motioned for Kanako to follow him as he crept back the way they had come, the two of them taking the maintenance staircase down to the lobby and exiting the school quickly.

“Why were you in the third year girl’s hallway?” Kanako finally asked once they were far enough away from the school, hugging her book bag to her chest.

“Shizu texted me,” Mariya frowned, “quite angrily, might I add, that Father Kanae was out on the hunt for you.” They walked in silence for a moment. “I didn’t want to have to deal with you collapsing again,” Mariya sniffed. Kanako smirked.

“Oh, I see,” she sighed, skipping a bit ahead, “so you were worried.” Mariya flushed.

“I wasn’t worried,” He snapped, “I just thought it would be a bigger hassle for me to have to come collect your sorry ass later from the nurse’s office than it would be to help you now.” Kanako hummed an affirmative, continuing to skip until they reached the Shidou Manor.

“Welcome home!” Shizu called from the kitchen. Kanako kicked off her shoes and slid across the hardwood flooring to Shizu, jumping into the kitchen and watching her friend chop a handful of green onions.

“What’s for dinner?” She asked, sniffing a pot already boiling on the stove, “and why are you making it this early?” Shizu smiled sadly.

“I wanted to eat dinner with you guys, and since we’re leaving in only a few hours, I figured we could eat a bit early.” Shizu took the green onions and dumped them into the pot. stirring it a few times. Kanako grimaced, she had almost forgotten Shizu was leaving.

“Oh, okay,” Kanako forced out a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “I do hope Matsurika comes back this weekend, without Rindou I’m going to be the only one to help Mariya with his corset.” Shizu giggled, putting a lid on the pot and taking off the apron she was wearing.

“That would be unfortunate,” She smiled, letting out a breath. “I’m really happy you agreed to stay with us, Kanako.” Kanako blinked at her friend. “It’s been so much nicer with you around, it was getting kind of lonely here with just Rindou and I.” Kanako softly reached out and squeezed Shizu’s hand, prompting the blonde to look at her.

“Of course, Shizu.” The two girls looked at eachother for a minute before Shizu broke out into a grin.

“Do you even know how to cinch a corset?” Shizu snickered, walking over to the pantry and grabbing out a few more vegetables, prepping them on the cutting board to cut as raw additions for later. Kanako groaned, rolling her eyes as she crossed her arms.

“Not even a little bit.”

“Master, why are you doing this work by yourself!” Rindou suddenly gasped from the doorway into the kitchen, dramatically flinging himself in front of the stove and shuddering, “to think, I am here just in time to save you from mundane work! Do not sully your dainty hands!”

“I already made dinner, Rindou,” Shizu growled, letting out an uncharacteristic snarl. She was reaching her breaking point with her butler’s theatrics.

“Oh,” Rindou blinked, turning to see the already boiling pot, “I see.” Shizu sighed and smacked her forehead, giving Kanako a look before waving Rindou off.

“You know what, Rindou?” Shizu threw the apron at him, “Take that off the heat in 45 minutes, stir it and serve it. Cut up the vegetables on the cutting board and put them in a separate bowl for raw toppings, and call us down when it’s all done.” Shizu grabbed Kanako’s arm and led her up to her room, mumbling about stupid butlers and dinners all the while.

“So, are you done packing?” Kanako said a bit awkwardly as the two of them sat cross-legged on Shizu’s bed. Shizu exhaled, stretching out a crick in her neck.

“Yeah, everything is all bundled up and ready by the door.” She cleared her throat, flopping onto her back and letting out a low whistle. “I don’t know how I’ll survive dealing with Rindou practically alone for the next week.”

“Have you talked to him yet?” Kanako said cautiously, peering down at her friend.

“No,” Shizu huffed, “he should figure out how I feel. Kanako groaned.

“Seriously, Shizu?” Kanako frowned, “Tell him you didn’t mean it. Boys are terrible at figuring out how girls feel. Boys can’t even figure out how they feel half of the time!” Shizu sat up suddenly, a calculating look on her face.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Kanako practically pushed Shizu off of the bed, “Now go talk to him! Clear the bad air before the trip.” Shizu nodded before bounding out of the room, taking Kanako’s advice.

Kanako decided to start some homework before the weekend, eventually joining everyone downstairs for dinner, seeing Shizu and Rindou off, and then going to bed early.

 

 


	9. The fear of the Father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Kudos!  
> *fist-bumps person who left it*  
> This chapter is dedicated to you xx
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

_Dear mother in heaven, you can really stop with the trials now._

 

Kanako awoke with a start, her breathing erratic and her hair sticking to her skin from sweat. She bolted upright, looking around Shizu’s room panicked, before taking a deep breath and holding her face in her hands. It was just a dream. Kanako shuddered as she recalled her night terror, hugging herself as visions of Father Kanae laughing and doing things not to be said danced before her eyes. A wave of red passed over her vision, and suddenly Kanako felt nauseous. She had never had such a horrible dream before. A soft knock came from her door, and she jumped, her adrenaline rushing.

“Kanako?” It was Mariya. Kanako pressed her hand to her chest, trying to still her heart.

“Yeah?” She answered, her voice wavering. Mariya cracked open the door, sticking his head in.

“Are you okay? I heard screaming.” Mariya said, glancing about the dark room. Kanako flicked on the table lamp, making him squint.

“Oh,” She paused, “it was just a nightmare. Did I wake you up?”

“Yes,” Mariya frowned, staring at the floor, “but I wasn’t sleeping that well anyway.” Mariya’s heart began speeding up again at the sight of the girl in front of him. “So, uh, what was the nightmare about?”

“Just… some stuff.” Kanako shook her head, trying to rid the tiny bursts of her dream from her mind, still shaking from the feel of those unwanted hands-

“It doesn’t look like just some stuff,” Mariya stood, inspecting Kanako’s face, “I’ve lived with you for over a year, you think I’ll buy ‘some stuff’ as what’s bothering you?” Mariya sighed, running his hand over his face, “fine, just hurry up.”

“What?”

“You’re sleeping in my room tonight, you idiot.” Mariya tapped his foot impatiently, his head turned to the side as he glared at the wall of Shizu’s room.

“Huh?”

“You don’t want to sleep in here alone, do you?” Mariya raised an eyebrow, making Kanako admittedly shake her head. “So, what, who else’s room are you going to sleep in?”

“Oh,” Kanako hesitated, “that makes sense.” She turned off her lights before pushing back her sheets, and making her way uncertainly across the hall to Mariya’s room. “Where’s the futon?” Mariya froze, his forehead wrinkled.

“Didn’t you have it in Shizu’s room?”

“I did, but Rindou took it t-” Kanako slapped her forehead.

“What is it?”

“Rindou took it to the hotel for Shizu’s field trip.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t you have more futons?”

“No.”

“Why don’t you have more futons?”

“We’ve never needed more futons!”

“Well. that’s stupid.” Kanako huffed, the two standing in the middle of Mariya’s room. He scowled, crawling into one side of his bed and pulling back the other corner.

“Well?”

“Well, what?”

“Are you going to get in?” Mariya sat, the covers of his massive bed peeled back. Kanako blinked. Sleep, _with_ Mariya? “The bed is big enough, if you stick to the right side we should still have at least three feet of space between us.” Kanako stared at Mariya, “you moron, just get into bed!” Kanako hurriedly accepted Mariya’s offer and shoved herself under his covers, staying firmly planted on her side, staring at his wall.

Somehow, her body calmed itself down and the irritability she had been feeling before, alone in Shizu’s room, melted away. Mariya switched off his lamp, settling down in his bed and letting out a relaxed sigh. “Goodnight, Mariya.” Kanako said sleepily, probably not even realizing that she said it. Mariya clung to his sheets.

“Goodnight, Kanako.”

  
  


\--

  
  


Mariya woke up, feeling oddly peaceful. He lay with his eyes closed for awhile, savoring the feeling of waking up refreshed. After a few minutes of mindless appreciation, Mariya slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted with the sight of black hair, more specifically, the black hair of his roommate.

Mariya almost let out a yell before he caught himself, and decided to analyze the situation. He was laying front to front with Kanako, his arms wrapped around her and her face nuzzled into his shoulder. Mariya felt his face begin to grow warm as he felt his body gladly accepting the current position. _Idiot_. He and Kanako had been roommates for a while, but sleeping together one bed, _his_ bed, in an _empty house_ was an entirely different thing. Mariya made a barely audible growl of annoyance in the back of his throat and began to carefully move away from her. He was almost completely free, when Kanako shifted in her sleep and let out a gentle sigh, making Mariya freeze. He looked down at the raven haired girl, her features softened in the morning light. Mariya had almost always woken up before Kanako in the dorms, so he had seen her sleeping form before, but he had never quite _looked_ at her.

Pale skin, rosy cheeks, and pink, supple looking lips slightly parted to breathe. Mariya found himself hovering over Kanako, fascinated. Letting out a soft hum, Kanako turned so her face was directly under Mariya’s, her eyes slowly opening.

“Mariya?” She said breathily, her brows furrowed. Mariya’s breath caught in his throat as he looked down at Kanako, unmoving. The two stared at each other for a minute, both trying to figure out what the other was thinking. Even Mariya, with his usual telepathic power was now only drawing a blank.

“I’m going to go eat breakfast,” Mariya finally said, his voice coming out sounding a bit funny. The blonde marched stiffly downstairs and to the kitchen, standing for a moment before letting himself exhale and collapsing into the breakfast nook. What the hell was happening? Mariya stared at the fruit bowl before him, finally picking up an apple and dejectedly taking a bite. After a few minutes, Kanako wandered down. The girl yawned as she sat across from Mariya in the breakfast nook, picking up an apple of her own. Mariya watched her through narrowed eyes, chewing with an air of apprehension. Kanako continued to eat, completely oblivious to her roommate’s look as she gazed out of the window next to them, surveying the small garden that lay outside of it.

“So,” She said after a moment, breaking the silence, “what do you usually do on the weekends?” Mariya contemplated for a second, casually placing his apple core on the table.

“Well, I would usually work on archery, but the shooting range is closed this weekend for some construction issues,” Mariya tapped his finger against the table, “why, what do you usually do?” Kanako frowned.

“Sachi, Yuzuru and I usually study or go off campus to get ice cream or something,” Kanako paused, thinking, “but since Sachi lives off campus and she said she had to wait for her screwdriver delivery, I don’t think we can today. Either that, or I would go off campus with Shizu and go shopping-”

“But you can’t do that, because Shizu is gone.” Mariya finished, running his hand over his face. Kanako nodded, puffing out her cheeks. Well, other than homework, she had nothing to do this weekend. She was bored already.

“Do you want to do something?” Kanako sighed, propping her head on her hand. Mariya raised an eyebrow, watching his roommate as she continued to stare out of the window

“With you?” Mariya asked blandly, crossing his arms. Kanako’s face flushed red.

“N-no! I mean, I guess?” She stammered, turning to glare at Mariya. Mariya was surprised at how much she reacted to his question. Mariya shrugged.

“We could go off campus for lunch.” He suggested, gazing at the empty kitchen. Kanako swallowed, nodding.

Mariya pursed his lips, was this considered a dat- no. Nope, they were roommates. They had been roommates for over a year, and it was completely normal for roommates to spend time together as roommates. Roommates. Two people that shared a room. Platonically. As roommates. The doorbell rang, interrupting Mariya’s frantic thoughts.

“I’ll go answer it.” Kanako began rising, when Mariya caught a small glimpse of a certain priest pacing outside of the entrance to the house.

“No!” He shouted, startling Kanako. Mariya coughed, “I mean, it’s Father Kanae.” Kanako paled.  “I can go answer it and send him away.” Mariya started getting out of his seat.

“You can’t,” Kanako pointedly looked at Mariya’s chest.  Mariya cursed, looking down at his t-shirt and boxers.

“Well, you certainly can’t,” Mariya snapped, clenching his jaw. “It’s not like you can handle _men._ ” Kanako narrowed her eyes at the blonde.

“I can, too.” Kanako huffed, quickly standing and beginning to march to the foyer of the house. Mariya’s eyes widened.

“Wait, Kanako!” He called, hurriedly stumbling to reach her. Kanako stopped, whirling around to meet Mariya.

“What?!”

“Er,” Mariya’s cheeks tinged pink, “I just don’t think you should open the door wearing that.” Kanako looked down at her outfit, her own face flushing as she came to the realization that it consisted of a revealing tank top and a pair of barely there shorts. Had she been wearing this around Mariya? She hadn’t really thought about it, she was just borrowing a pair of pyjamas from Shizu. _But, Shizu was certainly much shorter, and, um, flatter._

“A-ah.” Kanako and Mariya stood in uncomfortable silence for a moment, before the doorbell rang again. “Then what should we do?”

“Maybe if we just wait, he’ll go away?” Mariya said hopefully, both of them knowing that this wasn’t true. The Father certainly wouldn’t just go away by being ignored. If anything, he would wait on the doorstep longer for someone to return to the Manor.

“If we go upstairs to change, he’ll be able to see us through the window next to the door,” Kanako let out a frustrated groan. The two stood, thinking, as the doorbell was rung multiple more times. “Give me your shirt.” Kanako finally said. Mariya gave Kanako an alarmed look as he protectively held his hands over his torso, almost as if to shield himself.

“Why?”

“I’ll put it on over my tank-top, at least I’ll be semi-decent.” Kanako said impatiently, holding out her hand. Mariya glared at the girl, hesitating before whisking off his t-shirt in one swift yank.

Kanako thought she had mentally prepared herself to truly see Mariya fully shirtless for the first time, but she had thought wrong. The boy was certainly in shape, and every small movement highlighted a toned muscle. His lithe figure was almost mesmerizing. How was this even possible? When did he even work out? Why did… why did Kanako enjoy this sight more than seeing Sachi in a bathing suit?

Mariya cleared his throat, prompting Kanako to jump and snap her gaze to his face. He held a smug smirk that bordered on the edge of actual amusement. Kanako felt her face flush a dark crimson, her focus now solely on keeping her eyes off of Mariya’s bare skin.

“Are you going to take the shirt?” Mariya asked, wiggling the piece of fabric that he held in his hand. Kanako wordlessly grabbed the piece of clothing, quickly putting it on and walking to the entranceway. Mariya felt oddly pleased as he watched Kanako walk in his shirt, the hemline skimming the bottom of her shorts. It almost looked like it was all she was wearing- wait, what? No, why did that seem like a good thing? Who cared what Kanako wore? Mariya, stop it. Focus on the issue at hand.

“Yes?” Kanako opened the door. Father Kanae blinked, his finger poised over the doorbell. He scanned the dark haired girl before him, a ruddy color appearing on his own face at the sight of her clothing.

“Kanako.” He stated. The priest froze. He had been so focused on seeing Kanako again, that he had forgotten what he had been planning to say. It was the beginning of the weekend, and he had wanted to… oh, of course. “I would like to speak with you about the coming school year and your assignments.” Kanako blinked. “I was hoping you would be available to do so during lunch today.” Yes, that was good. Father Kanae was proud of himself for coming up with an excuse to ask Kanako to lunch. She wouldn’t suspect a thing.

“Uh, um I-I uh…”Kanako was already shaking from the mere sight of the priest, and to be completely honest she wasn’t paying attention to anything he was saying. A ringing noise filled her ears just from the sheer panic she felt at the sight of him.

Mariya stood behind a corner, clothed in only boxers. He slapped his palm against his forehead. _What an idiot_. Kanako could not be worse at dealing with Father Kanae. Mariya knew what the priest’s intentions were with this ‘lunch,’ and he knew Kanako was probably so intoxicated with fright that she couldn’t process anything that was happening around her at the moment.

“Oh, Kanako!” Mariya called in his falsetto voice, “Can you come help me for a minute?” Kanako held up a finger to Father Kanae, indicating that she would only be a moment as she quickly rushed from the doorway to Mariya’s hiding place. “Just turn him away already!” He hissed, “Who cares if you’re rude?” Kanako stood, at a loss for words as she wrung her hands. She was truly incapable of handling the priest. Kanako liked to think that she was fearless, but Father Kanae wasn’t even in her range of fear. He was an entirely separate entity that ran solely on all of the things that made her dislike men. Mariya watched his roommate for a minute, baffled at how helpless she looked. He had never seen Kanako look so utterly defenseless. Why did Father Kanae scare her so much? Sighing, Mariya contemplated their situation. Briefly pausing to put his hair up in a quick bun, Mariya approached the door himself, in all of his shirtless glory.

“Excuse me, Father, but Kanako is currently helping my sister. What was it that you wanted?” He asked, not missing the utterly shocked expression that flitted across the priest’s face.

“Oh, Shizu, hello.” The priest looked at Mariya embarrassedly, making Mariya suddenly question the priest’s sexuality. Did he like Mariya _and_ Shizu? Not only that, but did he really like _Kanako_? Did the priest just fall in love with anything beautiful? _Wait, no, that would make Kanako beautiful._

“What was it that you wanted?” Mariya repeated, being sure to make his tone clearly relay a hidden meaning of _why the hell are you here._

“Oh, uh, nothing really,” The priest gulped, “I just needed to discuss something over lunch with Kanako toda-”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry father, but Kanako is coming with us to lunch today,” Mariya frowned like he was concerned that this was an inconvenience, “perhaps you could reschedule.” Father Kanae began stuttering, puttering out to a stop. He had rehearsed what he was going to say to Kanako so many times that day, but he had never thrown any interference into the mix. He was quite sure Kanako liked him, and he had been hoping he could use the sister complex he was feeling to bring their relationship closer.

“I-I see.” The priest bowed once, before walking quickly off of the grounds of the Shidou Manor, his mind working faster than it ever had before behind his skull.

Mariya closed the door, shaking his head. What a fool.

“See how easy that was, Kanako?” Mariya rounded the corner to find Kanako pressed against the wall, her arms wrapped around herself. Mariya approached Kanako slowly. “Hey, it’s alright, he’s gone.” He gently reached out, shaking her shoulder a little bit. Kanako nodded carefully, letting out a shaky exhale. She forced a small laugh.

“Yeah, easy.” She grimaced, she would normally not have reacted so fearfully towards Father Kanae, but after her nightmares...

“Hey, you okay?” Mariya stood before her, gently rubbing her shoulder. Kanako looked up, completely taken back at the look of concern in Mariya’s eyes.

“Y-yeah,” Kanako cleared her throat, righting herself and rubbing her arm.

“So, do you still want to go somewhere for lunch?” Mariya asked, crossing his arms.

“Um, sure.” Kanako looked everywhere but at Mariya, still very conscious that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. It took Mariya a moment before he himself remembered this fact, suddenly adopting a grin and raising an eyebrow, not moving from his position.

“Why do you look so nervous now?” Mariya leaned in closer, his face inches from Kanako’s. The girl swallowed, her gaze finally meeting her roommate’s, much to his satisfaction.

“I’m not,” She lied, keeping her eyes steady, “I think we should get changed before we leave, though.” Mariya felt oddly pleased with his ability to make Kanako uncomfortable, and for the briefest of moments let himself agree with himself that she did indeed look cute when she was flustered. Mariya smirked, moving his mouth to hover over her neck. He could feel the heat coming off of her skin, and let his eyes slowly shut at the sensation. Kanako felt feverish, craving the feeling of Mariya. Her breaths were coming in gasps, only bringing Mariya closer to her neck. Suddenly, Mariya didn’t know if he was only teasing Kanako anymore, or if he in all actuality longed for this. 

Pulling back suddenly, the blonde hurried upstairs to get dressed, leaving poor Kanako once again confused and alone.


	10. The dat- Platonic lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this fandom is quite small, but you guys are awesome xx  
> Thank you!!
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

“I’m in the mood for sushi.” Kanako said nonchalantly as the two roommates walked side by side down a pedestrian street together. Kanako was in a sundress, and Mariya wore shorts and a t-shirt. Kanako had been concerned when they were leaving campus because they didn’t ask for permission, but Mariya explained that you only needed permission so you would be excused from your dorm, and neither of them were currently in a dorm.

“I’m in the mood for ramen,” Mariya responded, narrowing his eyes. His hair was thrown back into a messy bun, a few pieces still dangling about that moved when he tilted his head.

“Why don’t we just go somewhere that serves both?” Kanako suggested, trying to think of a restaurant that actually did.

“You idiot, nowhere here serves both sushi and ramen.”

“Well, I’m sorry for trying to keep the peace.” Kanako bit back, crossing her arms as they continued down the sidewalk, looking around for a restaurant.

“It’s been awhile since I came to town to eat,” Mariya said, examining a poster that advertised a new sweets shop opening down the road.

“I’ve only ever gotten sushi,” Kanako shrugged, gazing wistfully at her favorite sushi place as they passed it. “By the way, Mariya, aren’t you worried that someone from school might recognize you?” Mariya waved her off.

“Hardly anyone ever really goes off campus on Saturdays, and besides, if someone did catch us I would just say I was Shizu. You do realize I have a twin in the boys school you idiot.” Mariya stopped in front of a map of the city, carefully pinpointing the locations of all of the food. “Do you want to try this Ramen stand?”

“I don’t want Ramen.”

“What about this Ramen store?”

“I don’t want Ramen!”

“What about this Ramen restaurant?”

“Why you-”

“What a cute couple you two make,” An old woman beside the plaque said kindly, “you know the relationship will last when you can bicker like that.” Kanako froze, her face instantly transforming into an alarming red color. Mariya paled, his eyes widening. His mouth opened and closed like a fish, no sound coming out. The old woman smiled politely and continued on her way, walking down the sidewalk and out of the sight of the two roommates.

 

\--

 

“Can you believe that stupid old woman thought that we were a couple?” Mariya asked in disbelief. The two sat in a Ramen place, much to Kanako’s charagin, and were now awaiting their noodles. “People with that low of an IQ should be banned from society.”

“Yeah, like I would ever go out with you,” Kanako said, furrowing her brow and shaking her head. “My love is reserved for some pretty maiden out there.”

“You go out with me? More like I wouldn’t go out with you.” Mariya frowned, carefully watching their server place the bowls of hot broth and noodles in front of them.

“Oh please, like you could ever get a girl as perfect as me in the first place.” Kanako scoffed, flipping her hair and twirling her noodles with her chopsticks.

“Any girl ever is more perfect than you,” Mariya narrowed his eyes at his roommate. Kanako inhaled sharply, returning his glare.

“You’re just saying that because you have no effect on the female gender whatsoever.” Kanako raised an eyebrow, making Mariya flush with annoyance. Oh yeah?

Mariya placed his hand on Kanako’s knee under the table, making her jolt and drop her chopsticks into her ramen bowl.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She hissed, her face gradually growing redder as Mariya slowly moved his hand up and down the end of her thigh.

Smirking, Mariya leaned towards Kanako, he seemed to be doing a lot of that recently, and moved his hand ever so slightly higher. Kanako’s heartbeat accelerated, her body thrumming. _This feeling is just anger, this feeling is just anger_. Across the serving counter, the chef was mindlessly chopping up more green onions, humming.

“Do I have no effect on you, Kanako?” Mariya whispered, drawing patterns onto her skin with his fingertips, the same ones Kanako had been imagining only a few days before. She shuddered, slapping his hand away.

“Stop,” Kanako’s voice was cold, out of character and quite frankly startling, “stop.” Kanako deftly left the restaurant, leaving her steaming bowl of ramen and a stunned blonde.

 

\--

 

“You were back at the manor all this time?!” Mariya yelled angrily. Kanako sat in Mariya’s room, working on a packet at his desk. She would have worked in Shizu’s room, but she just felt more relaxed in Mariya’s, and she needed to calm down right now. “I was looking all over the city for you!” It had been approximately 2 hours since the lunch fiasco.

“Yeah yeah, I’m sorry,” Kanako sighed, setting down her pencil and spinning the desk chair to face Mariya. “I shouldn’t have run off.”

“No shit!” Mariya pressed his hands against his eyes, shaking his head. “Ugh, if only Matsurika were here, I could have her slap you right now. You’re lucky Shizu told me not to touch you.” _Well, she didn’t say slap specifically, but the no-touching rule had already kind of been broken..._

“Hey,” Kanako snapped, standing and sticking her face in front of Mariya’s, “You’re the reason I ‘ran off’ in the first place.”

“You’re the one who said I couldn’t elicit a reaction out of you,” Mariya stared at Kanako, narrowing his eyes.

“I said the _female gender,_ not _me._ ”

“You are female.”

“So what?” Kanako glowered, her previous barking tone replaced with a soft, scalding one. Mariya blinked in surprise. “So what if I’m a girl, Mariya, since when have you thought of me as a girl?”

Mariya’s stomach took a swan dive, and the burning, jittery feeling he had been feeling around Kanako for so long returned to his chest. He hadn’t known what that emotion was, and just chalked it off to his hatred for her, but it was almost unmanageable how much it hurt. The feeling got worse every time he thought of Kanako, and was indescribably horrible when he was away from her.

As Mariya stood and stared at the girl before him, the feeling increased, searing his heart and almost making him wince. What _was_ this? Wait...

Did… did he _like_ Kanako?

No, no that couldn’t be it.

“I don’t even know what you’re talking about.” Mariya fought to keep his tone even. Kanako gritted her teeth, shaking her head and shooting Mariya one last glare before she began her march out of his room.

Mariya’s hand shot out, grabbing ahold of Kanako.

“Let go of me.”

“Where do you think you’re going?” Mariya glowered, whipping his roommate around to face him. “We’re not done talking yet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Kanako retorted, still trying to yank her hand out of Mariya’s grasp.

“Look, it’s just you and me in this house for the next week, right?”

“Right…?”

“So what good would arguing do us?” Mariya waited, several minutes, as Kanako sighed, gently pulling her hand from his grasp and running it over her face.

“You’re right, I’m sorry.”

“Good, now what are you making us for dinner?” Mariya waited once again, watching as Kanako’s previous apologetic face morphed into one of disbelief.

“Aren’t you going to apologize to me?”

“Why should I?” Mariya tapped his foot, crossing his arms. Kanako continued to stare at the blonde. “What?”

“Not only that, why should I make dinner?”

“Because I don’t want to, moron.” Mariya smirked at the baffled girl, clapping his hands before him. “Chop chop.”

 

\--

 

_Dear mother in heaven. I am afraid I lack a very crucial skill for survival in the world._

 

“You burned _all of it?”_ Mariya stood before his stove, staring at the smoking pan of what he assumed was once fish before him.

“I told you I couldn’t cook,” Kanako stood to the side, her face a bright pink. “You told me to cook anyway, and look what happened. I am _not_ at fault here.” Mariya had to take a few deep breaths before turning towards his roommate, his eye twitching.

 _“How do you burn an entire fish_?” He hissed, the charred remains of the sea life suddenly billowing another cloud of smoke beside him, sending Mariya into a coughing fit.

“Um, like that.” Kanako poked the ashes with her spatula, and the blackened dust crumbled away.

“Fine,” Mariya huffed, yanking the poor fish off of the stove and shoving the entire pan into the garbage. He grabbed the spatula, giving Kanako the evil eye as he pulled out a pot and a few ingredients for curry.

“Curry!” Kanako clapped happily, ignoring the look of annoyance that Mariya was currently shooting her way. “Curry curry curry!”

“Do you like curry?”

“I’ll bet anything you make is good Mariya!” Kanako said confidently, making the blonde blink, go red, and turn back to his cooking, a small smile slowly making it’s way onto his face. “Make sure you add a lot o-”

_Knock_

_Knock_

_Knock_

“Who could that be?” Mariya mumbled, mindlessly prepping a cutting board.

“Do you think…” Kanako’s face blanched and she swallowed, an image of Father Kanae menacingly swirling before her vision.

“No, he only uses the doorbell, remember?”

“Oh,” Kanako’s smile resumed, “ well, then I can go check.” She skipped to the door, only taking a moment to swing it open. “Hello?”

“Hello, sister.”

“Miki?”

 

 


	11. Hello, sister

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

_Dear mother in heaven, your two daughters are reunited. Isn’t this wonderful?_

 

“-so even though my transfer to this school didn’t go through,” Miki took a sip of her tea, smiling at Mariya. She was currently sitting very close to the blonde on the sitting room couch, occasionally dropping a few well placed shoulder rubs, “I plan to try another transfer next year, and so, to refresh my memory of the campus, I decided to come visit for a weekend. Tonight and tomorrow, then I have to go back home.” Kanako sat opposite them on a parlor chair, gripping the armrests to restrain herself from...protecting Miki from Mariya? Yeah, that’s why she didn’t want them sitting so close.

“Oh, I’m so happy my cute little sister is here!” She reached forwards to pinch Miki’s cheek, but the brunette quickly slapped her hand away, shooting her sister a look of pure scorn. The young girl giggled and cleared her throat, turning back towards Mariya like nothing had happened.

Miki was wearing a few nicely polished silver rings, and upon contact with Kanako’s skin they had caught and torn it, leaving a few scrapes and bruises. Kanako grimaced, fighting to keep any looks of discomfort off of her face.

“I went to look for you at the dorms, but they said that the second girl’s dorm was currently being cleaned and that neither of you were staying at the third girl’s dorms, so I knew right away that I could find you here. I can stay here tonight, right?” Mariya’s face remained impassive as he gazed not at Miki, but his roommate. His eyes flashed as he took note of the way that she was cradling her hand.

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Of course you can stay here, Miki!” Kanako had another large smile, and carefully tucked her injured hand behind her back so her sister wouldn’t see how much she actually hurt her. “You can sleep with me in Shizu’s room!” Miki rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry you’ve had to put up with this for so long, Mariya,” Miki scooted just ever so closer, “Feel free to kick my sister out at anytime.” She then turned back to Kanako, her eyes filled with disgust. “Like I would ever willingly sleep in the same bed as you.” Miki couldn’t believe that Kanako had gotten all of this time in the Shidou manor, staying with _her_ Mariya. Rooming together was one thing, but this… this was considered _living together._

“O-oh,” Kanako laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head, “Of course, Miki.”

“I can sleep in your room, right Mar-”

“If you really must stay,” Mariya’s skin crawled as the younger girl grabbed onto his bare arm, “you can stay in one of the maid’s quarters.” Miki’s eyes dulled.

“I absolutely refuse.”

“I can sleep in the maid’s quarters,” Kanako offered, still blinded with joy that her sister was in the same room as her. “You can sleep in Shizu’s room!”

“I want to sleep in Ma-”

“Kanako,” Mariya looked at his roommate, cutting Miki off, “Shizu would absolutely murder me if she found out I made you sleep in the maid’s rooms.” He continued observing her enthusiasm and the hand that she was hiding behind her back, “Because of that, would you be alright with the same sleeping arrangements we had last night?”

“The same...last night…” Kanako paused as she recalled the previous night, her face suddenly beginning to flush.

“This is for Miki, Kanako.” Mariya said evenly, reclining casually onto the couch, Miki still glued to his arm. Kanako swiftly nodded, grimacing. It was for her sister. She wasn’t… _happy_ about the arrangements, she was happy because it meant her sister could stay. _That sounded right._

“What do you mean by _‘the same as last night_ ’?” Miki was looking between her sister and the blonde, her grip tightening on his arm. The timer above the stove went off, and Mariya took that as his cue to stand and return to the kitchen to finish their dinner. Miki shot Kanako a glare before skipping after her love, taking a deep inhale as she walked into the kitchen. “Is that curry I smell?”

“Yep,” Mariya didn’t take his eyes off of his pot as he began stirring, adding spices without pre-measuring them, for he had made this recipe many times before.

“Let me finish this,” Miki took the ladle from Mariya, lightly pushing him away from the concoction. She tasted it before throwing in a few of her own spices and re-covering it, turning towards Mariya with a smug smirk.

“I can cook well, amongst other things, and they say people who can cook make great wives.” She nonchalantly leaned back against the counter, eyeing Mariya. "They also say that brunettes make the best wives."

“Are you saying I'm only a sub-par wife?” He said flatly, making the young girl’s eyes widen. She began to stutter out an apology and explanation, but Mariya just waved her off. “Alright, I’m trusting you to finish it, then. Don’t take your eyes off of your food.” With that, Mariya walked back out into the living room, sitting down next to his dorm mate.

“Hey Mariya,” Kanako greeted, shifting so her hand was now hidden under her leg.

“Show me,” He said, holding out his own hand.

“What?” Kanako laughed nervously, leaning over her injury more.

“Just show it to me, you idiot,” Mariya sighed, manually reaching over and pulling Kanako’s hand into his own. The girl winced as he prodded the red, swollen area. “This will probably bruise more.”

“Eh, it’s nothing,” Kanako shrugged, staring out of the bay window in front of them, “Miki’s always shown her affection this way.” Mariya used all of his self control to not face-palm. _This isn’t affection, you idiot._ “Hey, Mariya?”

“Hmm?”

“Are the maid’s quarters where Matsurika sleeps?” Kanako nonchalantly glided the question into their conversation, making him stifle a laugh. _This girl._

“Even if they were, we have several rooms for the wait-staff,” Mariya sighed, still absent-mindedly holding Kanako’s hand, “and if Matsurika found out I let someone else into her hypothetical room, I’d be a dead man.”

“Does she keep dead bodies in there?” Kanako whispered, leaning in to Mariya.

“Not even I know what Matsurika keeps in there,” He chuckled, looking back at her. The two sat, eventually ending up grinning at each other as they continued to swap ideas of what could possibly be in the room of the mysterious maid. What did Matsurika have in that room of hers? Weapons? Jewels? An endless supply of videogame consoles? Mariya eventually returned his gaze to the injury. “I’ll be right back, I’m going to go get a bandage to wrap this with.” Mariya stood and made his way up the stairs, leaving Kanako in an easy silence.

“Now you’re making the heir to the school get things for you?” Miki stood in the doorway of the living room, a spatula in one hand and a tasting spoon in the other. “How presumptuous of you, Kanako.”

“What do you mean?”

“While we were in the kitchen, Mariya told me that you were _really_ beginning to annoy him.” Miki mindlessly licked the tasting spoon, her eyes lidded as she gave her sister a dark smile, “He said he couldn’t believe Shizu invited you to the Manor, and all he wants you to do is leave. He’s just too much of a gentleman to tell you himself.”

“Mariya...” Kanako paused, “a gentleman?”

“Yep gone fore-” Miki froze, her eyes flicking to her sister, “wait, what?”

“A gentleman…” Kanako’s uninjured hand flew to her mouth as she began laughing loudly, falling over and guffawing into the couch.

“That’s what you heard?!” Miki yelled, fuming. Kanako was rolling on her stomach, smacking the couch with her good hand as tears streamed down her face.

“You just-you just called,” Kanako was wheezing, “Mariya a gentleman!” The laughter continued.

“What are you doing now, sow?” Mariya was descending the stairs, a roll of bandages and a piece of gauze gathered in his arms.

“Miki,” Kanako gasped for air, wiping her eyes as she attempted to sit up, “called you,” snicker, “a gentleman!” Mariya stood at the entrance of the living room, his face bland as he watched Kanako try to collect herself. Eventually, she died down to a heavy breathing.

“Are you saying I’m not a gentleman?” He asked, frowning. Kanako’s former resolve shattered and she resumed her laughter, twice as loudly. Mariya only shook his head and sighed, making his way over to the couch and quite abruptly dropping the bandages and their packaging onto the girl’s head.

“Ow!” Kanako came back to her senses as she rubbed the top of her skull, pouting at Mariya as he matter-of-factly resumed his seat beside her.

“Hand.” Mariya began unrolling the gauze as Kanako stuck her hand out in front of him, wiggling her puffy fingers. He leaned forwards and began carefully placing the wrapping around her palm and her wrist, making his way up and weaving it around until she was left with a somewhat elegant mitten type of wrap. Miki stood in the doorway in silence, her anger simmering as she watched how casually Kanako treated this. _Shidou Mariya_ was treating the wound that she herself had given her sister. She hadn’t even hit Kanako that hard. The ladle in her hand was shaking as she gripped it, her knuckles turning white.

“Dinner is ready,” She found herself saying, making sure the words coming out of her mouth sounded sweet.

“We’ll be there in a minute, Miki!” Kanako smiled at her sister. Miki nodded, slowly turning as she stalked into the kitchen, taking the pot of curry and slamming it onto the dining table.

_Don’t count me out yet._

 

\--

 

“Goodnight, my sweet Miki!” Kanako sang, flapping her hand at her adorable young sibling in her adorable nightgown.

“Why are you standing in front of Mariya’s room?” Miki crossed her arms, glancing down the hallway to see an impending Mariya. “Mariya, you must tell Kanako tha-”

“C’mon, moron, let’s go to bed.” Mariya waved the young girl off, directing an oblivious Kanako into his room and closing the door behind them. Miki stood for a moment in complete shock, her mind still processing what had just occurred.

“I was just saying goodnight to my sister,” Kanako yawned, stretching her arms and crawling dutifully into her side of the bed, “you didn’t have to be so abrupt.” Mariya watched her as she sleepily rubbed her eyes, looking… _cute._

“Don’t you look awfully comfortable climbing into my bed,” Mariya frowned, getting in himself, “don’t try anything just because I’m cute, you pervert.” Kanako’s eyes widened.

“You’re the one who told me the ‘ _same arrangements as last night_ ’ all mysteriously,” Kanako scowled, “if anything, you’re the pervert here.”

“I’m the pervert?”

“This morning when I woke up you were awfully close to me. Suspicious behavior, Mariya, very suspicious.” Kanako’s tone implied that she was joking, but Mariya still found himself flushing as he did indeed recall that morning’s situation.

“Whatever,” He mumbled, pulling the covers tighter. Kanako suddenly heard Miki in her head, and grimaced as she felt Mariya shift in the bed.

“Mariya?”

“What?”

“Am I…”

“Are you what?”

“Nevermind,” Kanako huffed, staring at the darkened ceiling.

“Don’t you ‘nevermind’ me. If you start a statement, you damn well finish it.” Mariya heard his roommate pause, and held his own breath in anticipation of what she was going to say.

“Am I annoying?”

“Yes.” The blonde didn’t even pause before he responded, earning a defiant hmph from the lump under the blanket beside him. A few minutes ticked by before Kanako opened her mouth again.

“I mean, do you want me to leave?”

“Huh?”

“The manor, do you want me to leave the Manor?” Kanako squeezed her eyes shut, “I came to be with Shizu, but since it’s just you and me for now… I was wondering if I was a burden.”

“Kanako…” Mariya’s heart panged as he heard the genuine concern in his roommate’s voice. Since when did she care about how he felt? “Kanako, you are the most stupid, pig-headed, perverted mess of a person I know, of course you’re a burden.”

“Eh!?”

“But,” Mariya smirked, knowing that she couldn’t see it, “like I care.”

“Wait, what?”

“Like. I. Care.” Mariya repeated, enunciating each syllable as if talking to a young child. Kanako stiffened. The room fell into a silence, but the stillness was comfortable. After a few minutes, Kanako let out a barely audible exhale.

“So we’re still roommates?” She said lightly

“Shut up, idiot.”

 

 


	12. And so she goes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there lovelies  
> *muffled crying* I have so much homework ヽ(⊙︿⊙✿)ノ  
> I'll try to update this as much as I can, I promise, but I just have to put out this warning that the updates might be a bit sporadic xx  
> Thanks again for reading!!
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

_Jiggle jiggle jiggle_

Mariya awoke to the sound of the doorknob being shaken, his eyes slowly opening to find the room still dark. _What time is it?_ He began to carefully slide out from under the covers, the cold night air hitting his skin. Kanako stirred in her sleep, a muffled murmur falling out of her mouth. Mariya froze, his heart beating faster as the girl before him clung to his other arm, hugging it tighter.

_Honestly, Kanako._

Mariya’s expression softened as he watched her, letting himself reach over with his free hand and stroke her hair. It was late, or early, and he was half asleep. The filter on his brain was off, and he knew that Kanako was dead asleep and would therefore not know what he was now doing. _I… I want to…_ Mariya found himself slowly leaning forwards, hesitating, before placing a whisper of a kiss onto Kanako’s temple.

He quickly pulled himself back, covering his mouth like he had just been scorched.

Did that make him…. _an actual pervert?_

Mariya sprung quickly from the bed, falling gloriously to the floor with a loud thump. Kanako miraculously stayed asleep, a grumble of annoyance at the loss of his arm was the only effect from his sudden absence beside her. Mariya wobbled to the door, taking a deep breath to compose himself before whipping it open to find Miki bent over the lock with a bobby pin in hand, trying to pick it open.

“M-Mariya!” She yelped, standing straight and hiding the device behind her back.

“Are you trying to break into my room?” Mariya asked, clearly already knowing the answer.

“No!” She shook her head rapidly, her nightgown glowing gossamer in the moonlight, “I, uh, had a question for my sister.” Miki smiled innocently, “Could you possibly get her from her futon?” Mariya opened the door further, showing the outline of Kanako in the bed.

“Sorry, your sister is asleep right now.” Mariya felt a hint of satisfaction at the look of horror that befell Miki’s face at the sight of Kanako in the large bed, her black hair splayed across the pillows and her face peaceful. The bandaged hand lay delicately in the space next to her, the wrapped fingers gripping the sheets in an obvious gesture of discomfort at the lack of her _sleeping partner._

“Wh-why is she-”

“Look, Miki,” Mariya ran his hand over his face, trying to ignore her obvious interest in his boxer-clad form, “it’s late and I’m tired. Goodnight,”

“Wait, Mariya!” Miki’s voice was raw as she slammed her small, pale hand against the door, stopping it from closing, “Why is she sleeping in your bed? Why are you acting so kind towards her? The last time I was here, I thought you hated her as much as I did, why has that changed?” Tears were forming in the young girl’s eyes, “I love you, Mariya.” She whispered, her voice shaking.

“Miki,” Mariya slouched against the door, exhaling, “don’t hate Kanako.” Miki blinked at the obvious brush off of her confession.

“What do you even see in her?” Miki’s hands clenched into fists. “She’s an idiot.” The young girl was quivering with a mix of anger and disbelief, a feeling of dread washing over her like a cold shower. “I thought that I…”

“She may be a giant, perverted idiot, but she loves you,” Mariya frowned, “a lot. You may look at her actions as annoyances, but whatever she does she does because she cares about you, and doesn’t know how to show it. I feel the same way about Shizu, but think of siblings as a blessing, not a curse. Kanako is cuttingly stupid, but…” Mariya looked back at his roommate, a small subconscious smile slipping onto his face, “She’s Kanako.” Miki stared at the boy she was in love with, noticing an expression that she knew all too well.

“Oh…”

“Oh?” Mariya turned his attention back to Miki, an eyebrow raised. She smiled sadly, a few of the tears she had been holding back falling down her cheeks.

“It’s just that, I see now.” Miki sniffed, coughing out a laugh, “I’ll leave in the morning, I’m sorry to have intruded on you.” Mariya raised his other eyebrow. “Just know.... just know that I’m not giving up, Shidou Mariya.” Miki raised her chin, her glistening eyes meeting his. “I haven’t lost yet.” Miki gave one last nod before walking steadily into Shizu’s room.

_What did that mean? What did she see? What hadn’t she lost?_

Mariya smiled at the back of the confident young girl, shutting the door quietly and crawling back into his bed. He didn’t know what she was trying to win, but he liked her courageous attitude.

“Mariya,” Kanako mumbled, still asleep. The boy’s rational thought had long since faded due to his lack of sleep, and this time took advantage of the situation. He leaned over and placed a kiss on Kanako’s cheek, wiggling back down into his covers.

_Yep, I’m a pervert._

  


\--

  


“You’re leaving?” Kanako stood at the door, staring in confusion at her adorable younger sister who now stood, one foot outside, fully dressed and packed and ready to depart. She had been promised a full day with Miki, why was it being cut short?

“Yes, I am afraid…” Miki cleared her throat, her eyes flicking to Mariya before returning to her sibling, “I am afraid a few things have come up.” Kanako pouted, pulling her sister into a much detested hug before letting her go and wiping a tear from her eye.

“I’ve missed you, Miki,” she sniffled, the waterworks now pouring, “text me when you can, okay?” Kanako had had hardly any contact with her younger sibling since the last time they met, and though she often came out of their encounters injured, she would gladly sacrifice a limb for just a moment with her. Miki stared at her sister, and for the first time in a long time actually considered un-blocking the number of her sibling from her phone.

“Have a safe journey home,” Mariya finished from behind his weeping pile of a roommate, reaching out to shake the hand of the younger Miyamae. Miki looked at the blonde’s hand for a moment before dropping her bag and diving into him for a hug, startling both him and the girl beside him who had now stopped crying and was watching the pair with wide eyes.

“Don’t forget what I said, Shidou Mariya,” she breathed into his ear, pulling back with a youthful smile, “I don’t plan on losing!” Miki picked up her bag, darting out of the house and stopping at the end of the path. “Until next time!” She gave a huge wave before returning to her journey.

“What doesn’t she plan on losing?” Kanako asked.

“Hmm?” Mariya watched the younger Miyamae until her back was out of sight, his eyes hazy with thought. He mindlessly shut the door and began to wander away.

“Mariya,” Kanako’s eyes began to simmer, “you didn’t _do_ anything with Miki, did you?”

“What?” Mariya’s focus sharply returned to the present, his face morphing to one of horror, “Of course not! What kind of pervert would take advantage of a young girl?”

“Last night I had a weird dream that you and Miki were talking in the doorway of your room,” She inched closer, “that wasn’t a dream, was it?” Mariya narrowed his eyes at his roommate, re-evaluating the look in her glare.

“Wait, you couldn’t be…”

“I couldn’t be what?”

“You’re jealous,” Mariya’s face slid into a smug smirk, “why, are you worried I’ll be wooed by the wrong Miyamae?”

“W-what!?” Kanako felt a fizzing pop of annoyance, her face burning.

“Why Kanako,” The air around the blonde changed to something of amusement, “I know that I’m adorable, but please, restrain yourself.”

“Who even, what even-”

“Is this another one of those un-elicited reactions, Kanako?” Mariya taunted, placing himself to he was blocking the escape of the raven haired girl. “You know, you just admitted to dreaming about me.”

“Any dream with you in it sounds more like a nightmare,” Kanako challenged, tilting her chin.

“That’s what you woul-”

  


_*Run Run Ri Ru-*_

 

“Hello?” Kanako quickly put her phone to her ear, seemingly pulling it out of thin air, and held up her finger to silence her roommate. Mariya could only blink in shock at the pale digit before him, unable to process that he, Shidou Mariya, was being _shushed_. “Oh, hey Sachi!” Kanako’s voice quickly quirked up an octave, her face steaming into a tone of pink. Mariya watched his roommate in a mixture of curiosity and envy. _I should be the only one making her blush._ “No way, really?” Kanako’s face lit up, her voice filled with excitement. Her gaze flicked to her roommate, then returned to the wall in front of her, _what was that all about?_ “Yeah, that sounds great! See you in a little bit!” Kanako snapped her phone shut with a stupidly happy look on her face, her depression at losing Miki now forgotten. The bandage on her hand was seemingly forgotten as well as she fist-pumped the air with a triumphant “Whoo!”

“Well?” Mariya waited, crossing his arms.

“Sachi invited me to the amusement park,” Kanako hummed, already beginning to move back up the stairs to change, “Yuzuru and Nanami are coming too.”

“Isn’t the amusement park quite far from here?” Mariya’s brow furrowed as he followed her.

“Sachi can drive, and she lives off campus so she has a car,” Kanako slid into Shizu’s room, rummaging through her bags to try and find her black tank-top. “She’s coming over any minute now to pick me up.” Mariya had given up long ago trying to guess what Sachi could and couldn’t do.

“Wonderful,” Mariya crossed his arms and stayed in the doorframe, his eyes following Kanako as she ran around the room, searching for one of her bags. Kanako paused, blinking.

“Aren’t you going to go get ready?”

“Huh?” Mariya looked down at his T-shirt and boxers, looking back up at his roommate in confusion as she continued digging through her bags for a particular piece of clothing. “Why?”

“You’re coming too,” Kanako finally pulled a green skirt from her duffle, a proud grin crossing her face at her finding. “Sachi said she wanted to bring you as a thank you for taking care of me.”

“Huh?” Mariya repeated, Kanako’s words still processing in his head.

“Go get dressed,” Kanako began ushering Mariya out of the room, “C’mon, you can’t turn down someone as cute as Sachi.”

“I’m not coming,” Mariya’s stomach began churning at the thought of spending his day watching Kanako hopelessly flirt with Sachi, his mood steadily dropping faster and faster as the images progressed to much darker things.

“You’re definitely coming!”

“There is no way I’m going, you idiot.”


	13. Around and around we go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!  
> I just wanted to say, that reading your comments really makes my day. Thank you so much for reading this, and taking the time to write something about it xx  
> I take all of your comments, concerns and critiques seriously, and I also thank you for taking the time to think about this story and for taking the time to add your thoughts.  
> Here's a bit of a longer chapter, please enjoy!
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

“I love amusement parks!” Kanako cried happily. She stood beside an equally excited Sachi, the two gazing in wonder at the large roller coasters soaring overhead, and drooling as they passed all of the food stands. Yuzuru walked gracefully behind them, and Nanami and Mariya dragged along in the back.

Nanami simply didn’t understand the point of Amusement parks, why would you waste all of that money on cheap, poorly built rides?

She wore all black that day to symbolize her dissatisfaction.

Mariya was wearing a loose, flared sundress with ruffled fabric so it hid his lack of a waist due to his lack of a corset. His face was a void, his annoyance barely concealed behind a mask of femininity.

“Mariya, look at that!” Kanako yelled, throwing her arm out to point at one of the large spinning rides. Mariya made sure to smile and comment on how “fun it looked,” but the message he was shooting Kanako with his eyes was one of pure fury. She laughed it off, returning to her conversation with Sachi. This only infuriated Mariya more, making him grip his map of the amusement park so hard the paper tore.

“Mariya, are you okay?” Yuzuru stood before him, frowning. The older girl had noticed the look on his face and felt worried.

When they had come to pick Mariya and Kanako up from the Shidou Manor, Mariya had mumbled something about not feeling well and tried to slink back to his room, but Kanako had pushed him into the car anyway, insisting that he was fine.

“Oh, I’m alright,” Mariya grimaced, his  falsetto voice nearly cracking, “I’m just slightly scared of heights, that’s all.” _What bullshit._

“I’m not a fan of rides myself,” Yuzuru smiled kindly, “I would much prefer activities like archery or reading.” Mariya nodded, relaxing as he returned her kind gaze. “Are you excited for them to re-open the archery range?” Yuzuru fell into step with the blonde, bringing up a conversation topic that they would both feel comfortable with.

“Definitely,” Mariya’s fingers itched to return to his bow, and he was sure the brunette felt the same way. “I have to keep practicing if I ever hope to become as good as you, Yuzuru!” Yuzuru laughed softly, making Mariya release an equally sized giggle. He did respect the older girl, that wasn’t a lie at all. Her skills on the range were amazing. _How on earth did Kanako ever become friends with such amazing people._

“Let’s go on that one!” Sachi had halted the group in front of one of the rotating rides, her high pitched voice ringing over the noises of the crowd around them. Kanako was eagerly nodding, obviously intent on being seated next to her friend on the two seater ride. Mariya exhaled, his eye twitching.

“It’s okay,” Yuzuru put a comforting hand onto the blonde’s shoulder, thinking that his irritation was in fact fear of the ride, “We’ll just wait this one out. You two go on ahead.” Kanako’s excited gaze instantly turned from Sachi to Mariya, who was oblivious as he resumed chatting with Yuzuru about bow styles. Her eyes filled with a sense of unease as Sachi pulled her into the line for the ride, her sight locked onto her roommate. She had wanted Mariya to come and enjoy himself, but he was acting _awfully_ friendly with Yuzuru.

“Isn’t it great that those two get along so well?” Sachi chirped, noticing Kanako’s interest in their two friends.

“Hmm?” Kanako’s eyes stayed on the pair as the line shifted forwards, her vision soon blocked by the surging patronage of the park. “Oh, sure.”

Kanako should have been ecstatic.

Here she was, all alone with Sachi in line for a ride at an amusement park, spending time with her like a date, and all she could think about was Mariya. The blonde wouldn’t leave her thoughts.

Mariya always ruined everything.

This should have been one of the happiest moments of her life, and she couldn’t even feel her nose heating up.

“Yuzuru talks about how good of an archer Mariya is a lot,” Sachi had to tap Kanako’s arm to get her attention and show her that the line had moved up. “She really respects her.” Kanako returned her focus to Sachi, her eyes widening.

“Really?”

“Mhmm,” Sachi and Kanako took their seats in the small capsule, locking in their seat belts. “I do too. Mariya is awesome!” Now it was Kanako’s turn to grimace, images of Mariya standing over her and laughing running through her head. Kanako was too enraptured in her thoughts to even realize that when she gripped her armrest, the back of her hand was pressed against Sachi’s leg.

Mariya really did ruin everything.

“Sure.”

“Ooo, it’s starting!” Sachi squealed as the motors for the giant metal arms of the ride began whirring to life.

 

\--

 

“I have to use the bathroom,” Nanami declared suddenly, standing up from the small, booth style table that the three of them sat in. They were currently waiting for Sachi and Kanako to finish on the ride across from the small coffee bar, awkwardly ordering a small scone to divide between them so they didn’t feel rude for using the seat. The loud, blaring sounds of the park swirled around them, blocking out all differentiation, yet Mariya could still distinctly hear the scream that belonged to Kanako as the “Spider-Tornado” began to whirl into action not 30 yards away.

After Nanami made her graceful exit, Mariya cleared his throat, gaining Yuzuru’s attention.

“Um, Yuzuru,” He fidgeted with the paper plate that their food had been served on, avoiding eye contact, “could I ask you a question?”

“Sure, what is it?” As always, Yuzuru answered with an easy smile, her eyes filled with just the right amount of interest.

“How do you know if you like someone?” Mariya blurted out, instantly slapping his hand over his mouth and wincing. _Shit._

“Like someone?” She repeated, a look of delicate focus appearing on her forehead. “Like, if you wished to be romantically involved with them?” Deciding he was already in too deep, Mariya nodded. “What spurred this question so randomly?” She followed, catching his already wavering confidence off guard.

“Well… that,” Mariya visibly shuddered, “one of Shizu’s friends, I guess.” _Well, it wasn’t a lie._

“How cute,” Yuzuru scooted over in the seat so she was now directly in front of him, adjusting her ponytail so it hung over her shoulder. “Not to be rude, but why would you ask me?” Mariya hesitated, continuing to pick at the plate. Why _did_ he ask Yuzuru?

“Because I trust you to tell me the truth,” He surmised, “and… and I feel like you’ve felt this way before.” Yuzuru automatically glanced over at the ride that Sachi was on, her face heating up as she felt Mariya watch her knowingly. She laughed, humming in defeat.

“Alright, so what do you want to know?”

“If I like this person,” Mariya repeated, tensing his shoulders, “or if I’m just so used to being with them that I’m starting to mistake familiarity with feelings.”

“I don’t think you can really confuse those two things.” Yuzuru mused, “If you like someone… you always want to see them. You want to hear them. You want them to laugh and talk and maybe even cry, anything that shows that they trust you. When you’re around them, you feel complete, like nothing else in the world except that person matters, but when you’re not around them, everything feels wrong.”

Mariya’s heart began to sink lower and lower as he recognized everything that she was saying, a deafening finality beginning to settle in his gut.

“What about seeing them with someone else?”

“You get jealous,” Yuzuru snapped her eyes up, suddenly very frightening, “you feel betrayed and ignored and you just want to take them away from the person that took them away from you.” A few painfully long seconds passed as Yuzuru fought to calm herself, taking deep breaths through her nose.

“I see,” Mariya swallowed, scooting backwards in his seat.

“I’m back from the bathroom, Nanami slid back into the booth next to Yuzuru, not noticing the look that the elegant girl was giving her.

“Welcome back,” Mariya greeted her awkwardly, still trying to avoid the aura of anger that Yuzuru was projecting. Nanami seemed completely unaware as she ordered a glass of icewater from the passing waiter, cleaning her glasses on her shirt. “Would you like something, Yuzuru?” Mariya asked, snapping the girl out of her toil and making her blink back to reality.

“Oh, no, I’m quite alright.” Her sweet disposition was back, making Mariya feel like he might have just imagined the whole thing.

Pissed off Yuzuru or not, there was now one thing that Mariya was sure he _wasn’t_ imagining.

_Shit._

 

\--

 

“I thought you “ _loved rides_ ” at the amusement park,” Mariya sat with Kanako, his arms crossed in annoyance as the two waited in the booth for Sachi, Yuzuru and Nanami to return with the water and first-aid that they had run off to buy. Kanako’s face was a startling shade of green as she leaned over her knees and hugged herself, the ground swaying beneath her feet.

As soon as she had gotten off of the ride with Sachi, Kanako’s legs had given out and she was seeing two of everything. This prompted her three friends to rush off to buy her a water to calm her stomach down, and to dump her onto Mariya, who had no say in these arrangements whatsoever. They had pushed the table to the side so the two booths now acted as benches, the space in the middle opened in case anything decided to come back up from Kanako’s stomach.

“Ugghhnah,” Kanako responded, her head spinning. Not only did she waste her time with her precious friend thinking of Mariya, but she discovered that she had developed an intense motion sickness when spun around in the air at 70 miles per hour.

“You really are an idiot,” Mariya sighed. Suddenly, the world lurched to the right and Kanako’s center of balance shifted with it, making her head fall into the blonde’s lap. She began to right herself, some shambled attempted parts of an apology coming out of her mouth, but a cool, steady hand stopped her. “Don’t get up, you’ll just make it worse.” Mariya pressed his hand gently onto Kanako’s neck, keeping her head locked in place. “Really, you are such an idiot.” Kanako’s cheeks flamed as she stilled, her eyes locked open. “Take deep breaths, okay?” Kanako let out a shaky breath of air that she didn’t even know she was holding, her breathing resuming and bringing with it _that scent_. The blossomy spice filled her lungs, making her jumbled senses relax as she gave up and settled into the lap of her roommate.

Mariya, for his part, kept his gaze locked onto a tree in front of them. His hand gently smoothed out her hair as he began to feel woozy himself, every fiber of his being centering in on the girl that now rested on his legs.

So Yuzuru was right after all.

After a few minutes like this, a voice all too familiar to the pair approached, shouts and squeals soon following as a panting Sachi came into their vision, a bottle of water and an ice-pack in her hands. Yuzuru, barely flustered, came next. Nanami arrived only moments later, not even bothering to pretend that she had been running in concern, for walking was a much more practical way of moving oneself.

“Are you okay?” Sachi grabbed Kanako by the shoulders, not even taking time to question the position that the two had been in, and shook her friend.

“Sachi, I think you might be making it worse,” Yuzuru politely interjected, standing off to the side of the commotion. Sachi froze, instantly letting go, shoving the water into Kanako’s hand and slapping the ice-pack onto her head.

“I’ll have to stock up on ice-packs,” She concluded, pulling out a small notepad and jotting something down before returning it to her mysterious bottomless pocket. “Anyway, the point is, if you’re not feeling well Kanako we can just end the day here.”

“No, I’m fine!” Kanako smiled at her friend, touched by her concern, “I don’t want to ruin your day. Go on some other rides, I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

“We’ll wait with you,” Sachi insisted, plopping herself down on the bench next to Kanako.

“But your favorite rollercoaster opens in less than ten minutes,” Kanako frowned, noticing the way Sachi’s face blanched as she remembered this fact, “and Yuzuru, didn’t you say you wanted to show Sachi that deep-fried ice cream place afterwards?” Yuzuru’s eyes shifted to Sachi, whose face lit up at the promise of food. “C’mon you guys, just go do that and then come back. I’ll be fine.” Sachi looked torn, her gaze flicking from the large metal track to Kanako. “Besides, Nanami, no matter how put off you act, we all heard you mumbling about the carousel on the car ride over.” The girl in question scoffed, averting her gaze to the ground.

“But, we shouldn’t leave you alone.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Mariya offered, making Kanako whip her head towards him in bewilderment. “There’s nothing I really want to do, and besides,” Mariya offered up a girly smile, “I don’t like ice cream or rides anyways.” Everyone seemed to settle down at this statement, and eventually parted ways to return to the bench after completing their desired tasks.

“Mariya, you don’t like ice cream?” Kanako asked in confusion, carefully peeling the now warmed ice-pack off of her forehead. _Don’t you want to go with Yuzuru?_

“I love ice cream,” Mariya replied with a sigh, “I just have to make up excuses for your sorry ass so your friends can actually have a good day.” Despite the mean words, Mariya’s tone held nothing malicious, instead just showing that he was trying to cover up his kind actions.

“Thank you,” Kanako said, refusing to look at Mariya when he let out a strangled cough.

“Thank you for what?” He said, “You definitely owe me after this.” Mariya made sure to shoot Kanako a glare that read _I hate you_ , yet the small twitch at the corner of his lips said otherwise. Kanako grinned, stretching her arms up.

“Do you want to walk around a little bit?” She was feeling a lot better after resting for a few minutes, and she knew that it would be awhile until everyone got back to their meeting point. “I’ll buy you ice cream to make up for being a burden.”

“Okay, that sounds good.” The two began making their way down one of the smaller side streets, on the lookout for the frozen treat.

“What do we have here?” A voice came out of nowhere, the path suddenly blocked by a group of three boys. The tallest one stepped forwards, very openly raking his eyes up and down Mariya.

The blonde frowned, sizing the older boy up. He was used to being approached by guys, and hoped that this encounter would end quickly. “Can I ask for a name to go to this pretty face?” The older boy was about to say something else, when he suddenly noticed Kanako.

He instantly shifted his attention to her, his eyebrows shooting up.

“Wow, you look a lot prettier up close,” he chuckled, now taking an interest in her frightened eyes and very prominent chest. “Boys, get a load of this beauty.” The other two boys approached, circling them.

Kanako hugged herself, dodging their half-hearted attempts to grab her arm. She really didn’t want to break out in hives. “From far away you look really plain, but damn,” The leader of the group began inching his hand towards her face, “I wonder how soft that pale skin is.” A sharp sound, like gunfire, echoed over the pavement.

Mariya pulled his hand away from where he had just slapped the other boy, his palm stinging. He shook out his hand, a volatile look filling his eyes.

“Don’t do that,” He growled, glowering.

“You have a deep voice for such a sweet looking girl,” The leader smirked, “it’s definitely a turn-on.” Ew. He returned his attentions to Kanako. “You’re more my type, though.”

“Hey asshole!” Mariya shouted, thwacking the back of the boy’s head, “Didn’t I just say keep your damn hands to yourself?” The older boy rubbed the back of his head, his gaze darkening.

“Look sweetie, at first that was cute,” His eyes flashed, “but if you do that one more time, you and your friend are going to regret it.” Mariya’s eyes turned to slits, his anger coming off of him in rolling waves. The older boy reached out towards Kanako again, but this time it was Kanako herself who took the action.

“Run!” She cried, bringing her foot hard and fast into her assaulter's crotch. She sprang past Mariya, grabbing his hand as she bolted past the other two would-be gang members. The roommates sprinted down the rest of the street, coming out onto one of the strips of rides. The sound of footsteps came from behind them, and they quickly cut across the lanes of people, trying to find somewhere to duck into to shake off their pursuers.

“There!” Mariya pointed to the ferris wheel, where a new pod had just paused for the next passengers to get on. They jumped to the front of the line, cutting off a boyfriend and girlfriend who were too busy with each other to even realize that they had just been skipped, and ducked on, shutting the door behind them.

“Whew,” Kanako pressed her face to the glass as the tiny car rose a few feet, “that was close.” The two teenagers from before were standing in the middle of the street, turning around in confused circles as they looked for their prey. Their leader soon limped up to them, making a few obscene motions with his arms before they all wandered off towards the rollercoaster section of the park.

“They were all so loud,” Mariya remarked, his face unimpressed, “and ugly. I could have taken them on easily.”

“Are you just jealous because they weren’t flirting with you?” Kanako teased, still catching her breath. She fanned herself with her hands, brushing her sweaty hair out of her face. Mariya watched her, his expression unchanging.

“Don’t take that so lightly, Kanako,” He said, completely serious, “that could have gone a lot differently.” Mariya was suddenly painfully aware of the small, confined space that they now sat in.

_Of course it had to be a freaking ferris wheel._

It felt like someone somewhere was laughing, the situation seemingly pulled out of a bad romance plot.

“What’s the worst that could have happened?” Kanako shrugged him off, hiding her sweaty palms. She was seriously freaked, but she wasn’t going to let Mariya know that. “Besides, I’m the one that fought them off, right?”

“If they had managed to touch you, you would have been completely incapacitated.”

“Even if they touched me, I would have just gotten hives,” Kanako continued to stare out of the window of the tiny car, “it’s not like I would’ve died or something.”

Mariya snorted, his gaze meeting Kanako’s.

“Please,” He crossed his arms, quirking an eyebrow, “knowing you?” Kanako huffed, glaring at the blonde. Her eyes read malice, but the intensity in them only made Mariya’s heart start to beat loudly. _Shit shit shit._ He wasn’t blind, and today was certainly not the first day that he had noticed others taking in interest in his roommate.

She was pretty.

She used to be awkward enough that others would look over her, her nosebleeds and excessive complaining acting like a people repellant.

Not that that ever really bothered Mariya.

“Well, I guess we’re stuck up here for a few minutes,” Kanako sighed, adjusting her legs so she could now sit more comfortably in the compact space. Mariya made a sound of agreement, rubbing his temples to fight the headache that he could feel brewing.

A few seconds passed before Kanako became extremely bored.

“Do you want to play a game?” She finally asked, squirming in her seat. Mariya held back a  groan, deciding to go along with his roommate’s antics.

“How are we going to play a game?” He asked, quirking an eyebrow. Kanako bit her lip in thought, making Mariya clear his throat and look away.

“What about I spy?” She asked, squinting at all of the brightly lit attractions and stores below.

“Good luck with that,” Mariya scowled, barely able to make out the shapes of all of the different types of stands.

“Well, I’m out of ideas,” Kanako huffed, sitting back with a resigned frown. Mariya blinked.

“That was your only idea?” He shook his head, “What happened to ‘let’s play a game’?”

“By ‘game’, I meant I spy.”

“Really, Kanako,” Mariya looked at her blankly, honestly trying his hardest not to laugh. She was pouting like a 5 year old, her cheeks puffed out and her eyebrows furrowed.

“I don’t know any other games,” She whined, counting the seconds slowly in her head. How long did ferris wheels take to spin around fully?

“How about…” Mariya combed through his thoughts, “two truths and a lie?” Kanako hesitated, her face suddenly lighting up.

“Oh! I know that one!”

“Cool,” Mariya sat up in his seat, “I’ll go first.” He tapped his fingers against his knee in thought. “Okay,” Kanako drifted a bit closer, her eyes focused, “Matsurika taught me how to cook curry, Shizu is a really good dancer, and once when I was younger, I knocked over my mother’s glass cabinet and she made me glue it back together.” Kanako looked befuddled, most likely reviewing the three answers.

“Um, the third one?” She finally answered. Mariya shook his head.

“Shizu can’t dance.”

“At all?”

“Unless you count the macarena.” Mariya smirked, crossing his arms. “I get a point.”

“Your mother made you glue an entire cabinet back together?”

“Yep.”

“Wait, what does the winner of this game get?” Kanako had realized that her roommate had claimed a ‘point,’ and wanted to know the payout for this game.

She could be pretty competitive if she felt like it.

“I don’t know,” Mariya responded honestly, once again furrowing his brow in thought. “What do you think?”

“The loser has to do something the winner asks them to do,” Kanako replied immediately, a glint appearing in her eye. “Like buy them sushi.” Mariya gave her a look of disbelief, realized that she was serious, and shrugged.

“Alright, the winner earns a favor.”

“Deal.” A new fire was ignited in Kanako’s eyes, the promise of food in her future.


	14. Restless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 100 hits!!  
> *pulls out confetti poppers for everyone*  
> Thank you for reading (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧  
> How about at every little milestone, I ask you guys a question? (Is that lame?)  
> So, who's your favorite character in MxH and why? xx
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

“You haven’t gotten a single point.” Mariya rubbed his aching knees, tired of being bent awkwardly in the small ferris wheel car.

“I’m only 11 points behind,” Kanako said indignantly, looking outside to reaffirm that their pod had reached the halfway point of the cycle. The pair had been so intent on playing their game that they didn’t realize that this was a two-cycled ride, and when they reached the bottom they were automatically sent around again.

“If this ride goes around three times I _will_ die,” Mariya said plainly, pulling his shirt away from his chest in an effort to cool himself down. The setting sun blazed through the windows of the capsule, making the roommates feel like they were being baked in a very uncomfortable oven.

“One more round,” Kanako insisted, the heat doing nothing but driving her intensity further. Mariya groaned loudly, sinking down in his chair.

“Fine,” He paused, honestly spent. He had given all of the most obscure facts about himself that he could, and he was lost as to where to go next. “Um, I’m blonde,” He stated matter-of-factly, knowing that this was an obvious truth, “I like those gummy-sakura candies at the school cafeteria,” _Ugh,_ definitely the lie, “and…” Mariya pittered out, his eyes locking onto the gaze of the girl across from him, “and I want to kiss you.” He didn’t know what had made him say it, but his heartbeat pounded loudly in his ears as he swallowed, quickly turning his head out of the window. He made sure to keep his expression neutral, even throwing in a small frown for good measure.

A second passed before Kanako let out a dry barking laugh.

“Well that was too easy!” She grinned victoriously, “Obviously, the last one was the lie!” Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she buzzed with the feeling of victory, but she couldn’t put her finger on the pulsating feeling of disappointment that twisted itself into her gut. “Did you make it so blatantly obvious because you felt sorry for me?” Mariya gritted his teeth, forcing out a smile of his own.

“You’re right, I guess you get a point.” He choked back his sudden feeling of anger, “but I still win, 11-1.” Kanako’s apparent elation vanished, replaced with a grimace.

“Well, a deal is a deal…” The carriage that they were riding in was only a few rotations away from the exit of the ride, the time for another round of the game now gone. “So, what favor do you want?” She asked hesitantly, rubbing her palms together. Mariya blinked in surprise,

_Well…_

“I don’t know yet,” His voice sounded bored, and slightly strained. “I’m saving it.” He cleared his throat, a smug smirk slowly forming. _A favor, huh?_ “I’ll let you know once I’m ready to spend it.” Kanako huffed, narrowing her eyes.

She did _not_ trust Mariya with a favor.

The cart finally reached the final point, the roommates gratefully stumbling out, rubbing their numb extremities to try and restart the blood flow to their legs. The sky around them was now dark, the streetlights softly glowing and the bright LED lights lining the rides shining brightly through the chill of the night. They began making their way back to the bench, each walking close enough to the other to brush shoulders with every step. Their sense of personal space had been destroyed by the close quarters of the ferris wheel, and they were subconsciously drawn together.

They eventually returned to the rendezvous point, the stars blinking to life in the sky around them as the night continued to progress. Yuzuru and Nanami sat on the bench, chatting away about something to do with hair care, and Sachi paced in front of them, kneading her hands in worry.

“Kanako!” She squealed, throwing herself at her friend, “Where were you two?” She pulled back, holding Kanako at arms length as she looked her over.

“We went to go buy more water,” Mariya slung his arm over Kanako’s shoulders, subtly pulling her away from Sachi while doing so, “when these creeps came out of nowhere and tried to attack us.” He pretended to look frightened, cowering into Kanako. “Kanako managed to fend them off, but as soon as we ran, they began to chase us!”

“Wow!” Sachi exclaimed, her face shining in amazement, “You fought them off, Kanako?” She turned towards Mariya, a smile of sympathy on her face. “You must have been really scared, Mariya.” Mariya ground his teeth in frustration, giving Sachi a tearful nod. _You dumbass, who on earth would be scared of those idiots._

“We had to hide from them on the ferris wheel, but it took a long time to finish riding it.” Mariya played with one of the ruffles on his shirt, still standing with his side pressed against his roommate.

“Well, at least you’re okay.” Yuzuru now approached, gently resting her hands on each of their shoulders in a gesture of worry.

“We’re great,” Mariya returned the girl’s smile. Kanako, being Kanako, failed miserably at subtilty as she promptly yanked Mariya away from her friend, dragging him over to Sachi’s car and pushing him in, insisting that they leave so they could make it back to campus with enough time to get a good night’s sleep.

The group began the long, tedious ride back to the school.

The conversation steadily shifted towards much more mundane topics, including classes the following day and the newest shirt that a popular clothing brand had just released, but Kanako couldn’t find it within herself to stay tuned to anything her friends were talking about for long periods of time. Her mind kept drifting, her gaze staying focused on the buildings and other cars that whizzed past them on the road. She was all too aware of the casual glances her roommate would occasionally throw her way, but she refused to return them.

_What on earth could he possibly ask for as a favor? It was sure to be torture… public embarrassment? Physical Labor?_

All too soon, Sachi dropped Kanako and Mariya off on the doorstep of the Shidou manor, leaving them with a few ice-packs “just in case,” and a peppy wave.

“See ya at school tomorrow!”

 

\--

 

_Dear mother in heaven, sometimes I wonder why Mornings exist._

 

“Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.” Sachi playfully poked Kanako in the cheek, earning an angry grunt in return.

It was Monday morning and the four friends were crowded around Kanako’s desk, killing time talking until school started.

“Did something happen after we dropped you off last night?” Yuzuru said, her voice full of concern. Kanako lazed her head to the right, blinking groggily at her friend.

The previous night, she had returned to the Shidou manor with Mariya after going to the amusement park, and gone to bed immediately after. She had been excited to finally sleep in Shizu’s bed once again, but the entire night was spent laying wide awake. Not only did her mind refuse to settle down enough to actually rest, but the expensive sheets felt scratchy and thick. While she should have felt completely at ease in her friend's room, everything seemed foreign and cold.

“No, I just didn’t sleep that well.” She admitted, yawning loudly and begrudgingly pulling out her bookbag when the schoolbell rang.

Classtime passed relatively fast, the lessons whizzing over Kanako’s unreceptive head as she fought the urge to just rest her head on her desk for a moment and close her eyes…

“Kanako,” Yuzuru whispered, lightly shaking the shoulder of the raven haired girl. Kanako sat up, rubbing her eyes as she looked around the empty classroom. “It’s lunchtime.”

“Oh,” Kanako shook her head, sniffling and trying to gain her wits back about her, “right.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Yuzuru waited while Kanako hauled herself out of her desk, slowly making her way down the hallway and to the lunchroom. There were usually a few people that liked to eat in the classroom, but on Mondays everyone was required to eat in the cafeteria so the different grade levels could “mingle.”

“Yeah,” They entered the bustling room, greeted with a wall of sound and the smell of freshly baked bread, “I’m fine, I promise.”

The truth was, Kanako was not fine.

She was exhausted, annoyed, and  felt suddenly awkward as she and Yuzuru sat down at a table containing Sachi, Nanami, Mariya and a few other girls from Mariya’s grade.

She fought to keep her eyes open long enough to greet them all.

“You don’t look so good either, Mariya.” Sachi pressed a small hand to Mariya’s forehead, bringing Kanako’s attention to the blonde’s face. Dark circles lined his eyes and his hair was a ruffled mess of tangles on his head. He was wearing his school sweater, but that was also partly just to cover up the fact that he wasn’t wearing a corset, and his ribbon hung in shambles around his neck.

“What happened to you two?” Nanami wondered aloud, making them both look at each other with narrowed eyes. They had both obviously spent the night awake, but why? Kanako had gotten the best sleep of her life the past few nights, the only thing different about last night was-

“Mariya!” One of the younger girls giggled, playfully nudging his arm, “Have you seen the adorable new heart breads that they’re selling?”

Kanako lost her train of thought as she felt her body drooping, her head lolling back for a moment.

“Kanako?” Yuzuru’s voice was increasingly filling with worry, making her snap back to attention.

“Huh?”

“You should stop by the nurse’s office,” Sachi interrupted her thoughts, now pressing her tiny callused hand against Kanako’s forehead. Kanako nodded, her vision hazy. “Mariya, you should go too. Did you both catch something over the weekend?”

“I’m fine” Mariya waved her off, attempting to stand up before falling back down in his seat.

“Sure,” Sachi sighed, shaking her head. “Just go even if you’re fine, okay? You may be catching what Kanako has.” Mariya let out a very unladylike grunt before stumbling to his feet again, pausing only to let his roommate catch up with him before continuing down the hallway.

The two walked side-by-side for a few minutes, their footsteps echoing in the empty hall around them. They eventually approached the door to the nurse’s office, pausing to look at each other stiffly before entering.

“Kanako and Mariya!” The nurse said warmly, greeting them as they stepped into the sterile environment. Kanako nodded politely, and Mariya gave her a half-hearted cutesy wave. “What brings you to my office on this Monday afternoon?” The nurse set her lunch box down, and Kanako realized that the woman had probably just began leaving for her break.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Kanako replied calmly, “I’m just feeling a bit under the weather. I wouldn’t want to keep you from your lunch.”

“I don’t mind,” She smiled, “I wouldn’t want to leave you in here alone. You can lay down on the cot for few minutes, if you would like to.”

“Sensei,” Mariya cut in as Kanako began heading towards the small metallic bed, “I can stay in and watch her while you go eat. I came to rest as well, but I don’t feel as bad as she does.” The nurse blinked at Mariya, grinning.

“Of course. You two are roommates, aren’t you?” She gave them a look of endearment, “It’s so sweet when friends look out for each other.”

She was out of the door before either of them could blink.

The clock on the wall ticked loudly, only making the time they stood in silence all the more noticeable.

“Are you going to lay down?” Mariya finally asked, his tone dry. He dropped himself into the padded chair beside the cot, using the small end table as a foot rest. Kanako shuffled towards the bed, carefully positioning herself as far away from Mariya as she could as she stretched over the white linens. No matter how much she shifted, Kanako still found herself terribly uncomfortable. She got the strangest urge to hold something, and found her thoughts drifting to Mariya’s hands...

“What the hell is wrong?” Mariya finally snapped after watching her turn for the umpteeth time, the thin metal legs of the cot squeaking in protest. She froze, swallowing hard. She shivered, hugging her arms to her chest in a mixture of anxiety and self restraint. “Are you cold? Just use the blankets.”

“They’re too scratchy,” Kanako whined, scooting a tiny bit closer to the edge. A minute passed, before she heard the sound of ruffling fabric behind her and a swath of warm cloth was suddenly dropped onto her head. Kanako now turned towards her roommate in surprise, holding his school sweater in her hands.

“Are you going to sit there and stare at me or are you going to put it on?” Mariya demanded, his face heating up at the look of wonder and confusion that Kanako wore. She quickly averted her gaze, pulling on the garment with a hurried “thank you.” Maria was now wearing a very crumpled school uniform, the wrinkles acting as camouflage and making his narrow waist look somewhat curved. It looked frumpy and made him look like he had a very flat chest (which he did, because he was, in fact, a boy), but it would have to do for now. He blew out a huff of air, settling back in his seat and closing his eyes.

Kanako lay in a peaceful lull, the soft puffs of breath coming from the boy behind her indicating that he was already asleep. She began to feel her own breathing matching his, the rhythm coaxing her into a state of benign sleep.

Somehow, the shallow metal cot felt more comfortable than Shizu’s bed did the night before.


	15. A Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all of the lovely comments!  
> I know I say this almost every chapter, but seriously. I know I don't respond to your comments, but I promise that each and every one makes my day （‐＾▽＾‐）  
> I've been really sick recently, and my teachers have decided that throwing more work at us was a brilliant idea, so it's a bit hard to find time to write but as I said before, I promise I will xx  
> Sporadic updates for the win (?)
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

“Next weekend?” Kanako asked incredulously, walking alongside Sachi. Her friend nodded, jumping from cobblestone to cobblestone as they made their way down the path. School had just ended, and the two friends were heading over to the partially re-constructed archery range to watch Yuzuru have the honorary first shot at the new targets.

“Yep,” Sachi shrugged, keeping her gaze locked onto the next stone, and the next one, “the second girl’s dorm should be up and running by next Friday.” Kanako nodded thoughtfully, a strange pang of an unfamiliar feeling passing over her gut.

“That’s good, do they know what the problem was yet?”

“No,” Sachi hummed, flapping her arms to keep her balance as she tried hopping on one foot, “the dorm mistress just insisted that it was, ‘the bug of destiny’, or something like that.” Kanako once again nodded, not quite understanding but not daring to question the words of the dorm mistress.

“How do you know about the opening date?”

“Oh look, we’re here!” Sachi pointed excitedly at the newly erected archway over the path, tiny etchings of arrows bordering the dark wood. The arch continued into a similarly designed open aired building, the path branching off to lead into the entrance of the club house.

The two friends excitedly entered, taking off their shoes and sliding down newly lacquered floors in stocking-clad feet like they were children. They laughed as they continued past the dressing rooms, pausing to momentarily peek inside and see the renovations that had been made. The main room was large and well lit, a few smaller doors leading off to private changing areas. Just as they turned to go, one of the side doors opened to reveal a surprised Mariya, his hair pulled behind his ears and his crumpled uniform exchanged for an archery robe.

“Hi Mariya!” Sachi squealed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. He smiled, returning her greeting before turning towards his roommate.

_Shit, she was still wearing his sweater._

He hid his blush behind the thick sleeves, hurrying past them into the hallway.

“Where are you going?”

“Shooting range,” He quipped back, the thudding sound of his feet fading off into the building.

“Huh, I wonder what was wrong?” Sachi frowned, shrugging it off before continuing her gleeful exploration of the room.

 _Shooting range_ , Kanako’s eyes were still on the curtain of the door, _wasn’t Yuzuru at the shooting range?_ Why else would Mariya have been in such a hurry to get there?

“Um,” Kanako cleared her throat, shuffling towards the exit, “I’m going to go check out the shooting range, too.”

“Don’t you want to look at the bathrooms first?” Sachi had discovered the luxury bathing commodities that had been added to the clubhouse, the door leading to them a tempting gold-white color. Whereas Kanako _should_ have felt a rush of excitement at the prospect of seeing where Yuzuru bathed after practice, or at least felt the need to spend more time with her adorable friend, all she felt was a pounding in her head and the need to see what her roommate was doing.

“I’ll look at those later,” She laughed nervously, sliding through the curtains that partitioned the dressing room.

“Okay, I’ll catch up with you in a bit, then!” Sachi’s remark fell on deaf ears as Kanako twirled and darted down the hallway, following the newly painted signs that pointed her in the direction of the range. She arrived slightly out of breath, okay, a lot out of breath- _Geez, Kanako, you need to work out more_ \- and found herself frozen to the spot as her eyes watched Yuzuru’s hands guide Mariya’s across a new bow. They both wore smiles, a joke she had just missed leaving the air tasting stale and tart, and the gentle strum of the tightly wound string on the shooting apparatus weaving through the air like a warning shot.

“Oh, hi Kanako,” Yuzuru’s acknowledgement had made the blonde in her arms turn his head as well, a slightly puzzled smile pulling itself onto his face as his eyes registered the look of shock on the raven haired girl. “Mariya and I thought it would be better if we released the first arrow of the season together, after all, after we graduate she’s definitely going to be the one taking over." A light pat on the shoulder, "She's so good she could probably take my position right now, if she wanted to.”

"Oh please, Yuzuru, you're like the goddess of archery," Mariya giggled in his falsetto.

Kanako had never felt this much blood rush to her head, and had never, ever, felt any type of aggression towards Yuzuru until this moment. She stumbled back a few steps, unable to respond as her feet carried her back down the hallway.

“Kanako?” The worried call of her roommate wasn’t even enough to make her turn back around, and she was in too much of a confused daze to even hear the genuine concern in his voice.

_Of course._

Mariya liked Yuzuru, didn’t he?

She should have been annoyed that he had dared to touch her friend, but instead Kanako felt a surge of ice through her veins as she realized what she was instead feeling.

She was annoyed that _her friend_ had dared to _touch him_.

She shook her head, taking crooked steps all the way back down the hallway to where she had begun her frantic run.

“Kanako!” Sachi took in the sight of her friend, stilling her waving hand. “Kanako?” Kanako blinked, her mind reeling. She looked up at Sachi with wide eyes.

“Huh?”

“You still don’t look too good,” The small girl frowned, continuing to fuss as she checked Kanako for a temperature and felt her hands to see if they were clammy. “Let’s go watch the release of the first arrow and then go out for some tea or something, okay?” Kanako nodded foggily, letting herself get dragged back to the shooting range and pushed to sit down in front of the grass, the attentive stares of her friends on her as she gazed blankly at the different sized bows on the wall.

“Is anyone else coming?” Sachi broke the silence, bringing everyone’s attention to her high pitched voice. Mariya ground his teeth, his eyes still flicking towards his roommate every few seconds. She looked awful, her already pale skin a tattered grey color that looked like stormclouds just beginning to brew.

“No,” Yuzuru took the opportunity to step in closer, her hands patting down the stray hairs on the excited little ginger’s head, “they all insisted I come here alone and ‘bond with the new building,’ but I thought it would be better with all of you here.” Kanako missed the look of shining affection that Yuzuru gave Sachi, but she _didn’t_ miss the look of gratefulness mixed with something else that the elegant girl quickly slid Mariya’s way. Kanako staggered to her feet, ignoring the startled questions of her friends as she floundered her way out of the building, clawing at the walls for support as she practically fell down the short stairs to the entryway. She slipped on her shoes, still not offering an explanation as Sachi buzzed after her. Her chest ached, her hand trying to claw through her clothing to get to it.

_She was just angry that her friend was spending time with her roommate over her._

Right?

She subconsciously brought her sleeves to her face, taking a deep inhale of the fabric to try and calm down. _Wait…_ Kanako blinked, looking down at the material she was now clutching like a lifeline. _This wasn’t her sweater…_

A few moments later, Kanako looked up to realize that her feet had taken her back to the second girl’s dorm, a large lock fastened to the iron-wrought gates. She gripped the cool metal with a frazzled hand, weakly yanking as she wished for nothing more than to be back in her old dorm bed. She needed to sleep off whatever virus or bug that she had caught, and she certainly couldn’t do that in Shizu’s bed. _But you did fall asleep in-_ Kanako slapped her palm against her temple, refusing to let herself finish the thought.

Before she could really think about the fact that she was once again moving, Kanako looked up to realize that her feet had now carried her to the front of the Shidou manor. She grabbed the fence angrily, refusing to step inside.

“Kanako!” A strange tapping noise ran up behind her as the sound of wooden sandles against cobblestone approached. She turned to see Mariya, still clothed in his archery robes, quickly approaching.

“What do you want?!” She bit angrily, her grip tightening around the bars. Her voice sounded like that of an elementary school kid who didn’t get a cookie, but she didn’t care.

“What the hell?” His tone was level and concise, much more frightening than her’s had been. “Yuzuru and Sachi thought you had seen a ghost or something, why are you freaking out all of a sudden?” She locked her jaw at how casually he said their names, a foreign feeling seeping into her skull.

“Don’t you want to go back to Yuzuru?” She said flatly, unable to help the words as they came tumbling out. " _'The goddess of archery'_ and all that?"

“What?” Mariya’s look of vehemence dropped, replaced with one of bewilderment.

“N-nothing,” Flustered, Kanako looked away.

“Wait,” A long, tortuous second, “this isn’t…” a sharp inhale, “are you _jealous?_ ” Kanako hissed at the word, especially hearing it from her roommate’s mouth.

“No,” She realized her mistake a moment too late, the resounding silence from her roommate at her hostile sounds making her face explode red, “definitely not. What would I even be jealous about? What are you trying to say? What an odd thing to say. What was the point of that?” She knew she was rambling, but she couldn’t stop. He cut her off with a quick wave of his hand.

“I don’t know,” He sighed, pulling his sash tighter around his waist, “look, I don’t have time for this, okay?”

“You’re the one who came over here and started saying stupid things,” Kanako was suffocating, sweltering under a pressure that suddenly overcame her. “What even was that?” she teetered against the gate, “I don't even do archery, why would I be jealous of Yuzuru? Stop saying stupid things. Just go shoot with Yuzuru.”

"Kanak-"

"I hate it when people are like this, I hate how boys hang on girls like that, if you like Yuzuru so much just go already."

"Kanak-"

"I know she's pretty, and like a goddess, but why are y-"

“Shut up,” Mariya flared, his calm exterior cracking, “just shut the hell up.” He snatched her hand tightly, squeezing the life out of it as he yanked her roughly with him towards the Manor.

“Wh-”

He threw the door open with a bang, scaring her half to death as he continued to tug her up the stairs. He pulled her into his room, finally releasing his grip on her wrist with a deferred grunt of annoyance. He turned, dropping to his knees and rummaging under his bed for a few moments.

“Mariya wha-” Kanako was cut short as a book was shoved in front of her face. It took a moment for her vision to shift, her brow furrowing before she registered the green thing now before her. “H-Ho-How do you still have my junior high graduation essay!?” She was horrified, her hands instantly shooting out to grab the detested thing and hold it against her chest. She was met with empty air as the much quicker beauty in front of her brought it back to his own embrace. He looked strangely resound, his eyes burning and his mouth caught between a smirk and a sneer.

“I was originally holding it as blackmail,” he admitted, flipping through the pages slowly, teasingly, “but I think I should read you one part of it, one more time.”

“You monster,” Kanako wailed, dropping to the floor. He dramatically held the cursed thing aloft, as though reading from an ancient tome of great knowledge.

“When I grow up I will become a genius pastry chef because my little sister loves cakes.” Mariya tsked at this, his thoughts flashing to her utter lack of cooking ability before returning to his task. Kanako held her head in her hands, refusing to acknowledge the reading, “And if that’s impossible, I will become a genius copyrider instead.” The stupidity of her past! Why, oh way was it back to haunt her now? “There are so many other things that I want to be, but what I want to be the most is a princess.” Here, he paused, giving the sentence time to sink in. The raven haired girl knew what was coming next. “I want to be a pretty princess so that a prince will come and pick me up.” With that he snapped it shut, thoughtfully tapping against his chin.

“ _A pretty princess so that a prince will come…_ ”

Kanako was in physical and mental pain, eternally cursing Mariya in her head as she felt him leer at her from above. She expected a laugh, a jeer, another cruel joke in her expense, but the silence only drew on. She finally looked up, meeting the eyes of her roommate with malice and hurt.

“Why did you do that?” She asked, completely and utterly appalled and confused. He crouched down so they were eye level, startling her.

“Why?” He repeated, his eyes scorching.

 _A pretty princess so that a prince will come_.

' _The goddess of archery' and all that?_

His voice wavered as he clenched the book in his hands, seconds away from smacking the girl in front of him with it. He reached out and pinched her cheek, earning a cry of protest. “You really are dense, aren’t you?” His voice simmered as he leaned closer, his lips grazing her ear as he whispered something she couldn’t decipher. The darkness in his mumble made her shiver, the tone coming across as a promise, _or a threat_. He let go, promptly standing and exiting the room, taking the book with him.

Kanako rubbed her sore face, the feeling of his words lingering like the first drop of rain.

Her jumbled mind sifted through the mess of syllables he had half-heartedly given her, a wash of confoundment hitting her.

_Huh?_

_  
“I only want a princess.”_


	16. Tomato Pepper Stew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost Halloween!!  
> I love fall so much, I just can't help getting excited xx  
> The colors are so pretty, the weather is just crisp enough and the fashion is so cute  
> It's my favorite season (ﾉ´ヮ´)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧  
> What are your guys' favorite seasons?
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

“Maybe if you tried eating something?” Sachi offered helplessly as Kanako lay half-conscious at her desk. “C’mon, don’t you want to try a bakery item?” It was lunch time, but Kanako had no energy to go and buy her favorite vanilla cakes at the cafeteria dessert store. They only sold them on Tuesdays, but today was the one day that Kanako had no appetite whatsoever. She had slept even worse last night than the night before, a few of her nightmares returning to fill her sleep with a certain priest. If she had felt sick yesterday, it was no comparison to how she felt today. Her entire body felt like it was being flash frozen and boiled at the same time, her usually wandering mind even further away. “Kanako!” Sachi repeated, a look of panic crossing her features.

“Huh?”

“You weren’t responding,” Sachi breathed in relief, pressing a hand against her heart, “I thought that you might have died.” Kanako blinked, sitting up in her seat groggily, “I’m serious, Kanako, you really should just go home today.”

“I’m fine,” Kanako waved her friend off, stifling a yawn. “Let’s go buy some cake, okay?” Sachi looked at her suspiciously, but nodded. The two set off to the lunchroom, Kanako looking more like a zombie wandering for brains than anything else, and got into the line for the dessert shop. It was a fairly long line, which was surprising considering there were only a few minutes of lunch left, and Kanako and Sachi were probably going to be the last ones to make their purchases.

“Oh look, there’s Mariya!” Sachi poked Kanako as she waved at the blonde getting into the back of the line. He returned her wave politely, his chipper attitude off-set by his pale face and dark under-eye circles. “Geez, _both_ of you need to go home.” Sachi tsked, turning back to Kanako and pushing her forwards with the line.

Kanako’s mind was like a flickering light bulb, occasionally lighting up just long enough for her to make cohesive thoughts. She grabbed one of her cakes and a small bean bun, when she noted the tiny bag of sakura shaped gummies sitting by the register.

 _Flicker._ Oh, that’s what Mariya was probably getting. He had said he liked them before, right?

 _Shut off._ Pink was a nice color.

“Will this be all?” The worker asked, ringing up her cake and bean bun. The lunch bell rang, and all of the other students began shuffling out of the cafeteria. The line behind her groaned, all turning on their heels to make it back to class in time.

 _Flicker._ Mariya can’t get these now. I should buy these for-

 _Shut off._ Pink was a nice color.

“Dear?” Kanako looked up at the cashier, a momentary flash of a feeling crossing her conscience. She grabbed the gummies.

“These too.”

 

\--

 

“All I’m saying is that people should really keep their noses out of other people’s business.” Mariya said gruffly, scuffing his shoe on the path. The roommates were making their way back to the manor after school, Mariya just now finishing up on his rant as to all of the people that day that had commented on how sick he looked. _Really,_ he wasn’t sick, he was just exhausted out of his mind. That wasn’t really a deterrent to everyday life, though. He could handle being tired. He glanced at Kanako, her eyes foggy as she ambled along behind him like something out of a horror movie. “Hurry up, we’re here.” Mariya rolled his eyes as he went through the gate to his property and opened the door, holding it just long enough for Kanako to shuffle through. She beelined for the living room, tossing off her bag and falling face first into the couch.

Mariya sighed as he looked at her poorly collapsed form, running a hand through his hair before making his way to the kitchen to start on dinner. He would make a soup tonight, he decided. He was just tired, but he figured that Kanako had probably caught some type of bug.

“What’s that?” Kanako wandered into the kitchen after a few minutes, her hair askew and her sweater turned sideways. It took Mariya a few long painful seconds to realize that it was, in fact, _his_ sweater that she was still wearing, but he chose to ignore this fact as he continued peeling carrots.

“I’m making soup.”

“We always have soup,” Kanako pouted, sliding into one of the stools that lined the kitchen island. She watched as Mariya’s hands flew over the vegetables, selecting the ones that looked good and brushing aside the ones that didn’t so he could throw them away later.

“Yeah, well _one of us_ decided to go and get sick,” he said pointedly, keeping his eyes on his work.

“I’m not sick,” Kanako insisted, as though she had been told this multiple times, “I’m just tired.” Mariya registered her comment with a frown, rummaging through the cabinet for the large mixing spoon.

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” Kanako huffed, flicking the salt shaker, “I just can’t sleep, and a few of my nightmares have been coming back.” Mariya’s rummaging slowed, his fingers pausing before grasping the utensil that he was looking for.

“Oh?”

“Yeah,” Kanako shifted in her seat, fiddling with her sleeves. She brought them up to her face mindlessly, taking a deep inhale as she did so. Mariya watched her with a weird expression as she did this, making her suddenly very self conscious as she forced her hands into her lap. “What?” He opened his mouth like he was about to say something, but instead just shook his head and turned back to his broth.

“Do you want beef or chicken?”

“Beef,” Kanako continued playing with the salt and pepper shakers, humming and watching Mariya make their dinner with a keen precision only found in professional chefs.

“What?” He finally said, irritated.

“Huh?” Kanako asked, confused as to why her roommate was disgruntled.

“Why do you keep looking at me?” Mariya asked, throwing in a handful of some type of herb angrily.

“It’s fun to watch you cook,” Kanako said drowsily, not even aware of the words that she was saying. “I could watch you cook all day.” Mariya’s anger vanished, his face turning a brighter red than the tomatoes he was currently slicing.

“Idiot,” he mumbled, keeping his head down as he finished with the stock. Kanako gazed absentmindedly at the pot, resting her head on her hand.

“Hey-”

“What?”

“If I was a type of soup, what type would I be?” Kanako said languidly, her brows furrowed in concentration as she considered this question with the utmost amount of importance.

“Uh, what?”

“If I were a soup,” Kanako repeated the question louder, as if that were the problem, “what would I be?” Mariya stared at her, finally realizing that she was serious.

“I don’t know, why are you asking me this?”

“I think that you would be Tomato Pepper stew,” she ignored his inquiry, “because you smell sweet and look really good but you’re actually really spicy and sour,” Mariya scowled, “but the more you eat it, the more you like it.” Mariya was opening his mouth to give a rude remark, but her last comment made him freeze, his hand poised over the pot mid-stir. Kanako let out a contented sigh, eyes half closed. She looked up in confusion after hearing a loud clang, Mariya standing with his hand slammed against the counter, the stirring spoon still in his grip. “Mariya?” He was silent for a long moment, his back turned to her.

“Go take a nap or something, you idiot, you’re sick. Stop straining your voice.”

“I’m not sick,” Kanako repeated, sticking her bottom lip out. She crossed her arms.

“You’re like a petulant child,” Mariya chided, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel before pressing one of them against her forehead. “You’re a bit warm. Seriously, go take a nap.”

“I can’t sleep,” she whined, her head bobbing as she tried to stay upright. Mariya’s hand on her head was just so calming…

“Kanako!”

“Hmm?”

“Damn it, Kanako, just go lay down or something. I’ll come get you when dinner is ready.”

“Mmk.” Kanako relented, practically falling out of the stool and stumbling back up the stairs.

Mariya finished up their dinner, as promised, and covered the pot with a sigh.

That girl was going to be the death of him.

Her words played back unwantedly in his head, making him let out a frustrated growl and kick the base of the counter.

 _What the hell_ was _Tomato Pepper stew, anyways?_

 

 


	17. The sick idiot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Backstreet boys begins to play*  
> Guess who's back yeah they're back again  
> *whispers*  
> I'm so sorry
> 
> Hey all! I'm sorry for the growing amounts of time between updates, but school and life and just tons of shiitake has been happening -- but I'm fighting through ٩(｡•ㅅ•｡)و  
> How are all of you? Who's excited for Christmas?
> 
> I hope you enjoy!
> 
> *Also, some editing may take place at a later date

“Kanako?” Mariya stuck his head into Shizu’s room, flicking on the lightswitch.

It had been several hours since he had sent her upstairs to sleep, and he had managed to restrain himself from checking on her. _That would be creepy, you’re not her mother or something._

“Wha?” Kanako sat up, her eyes hazy and her hair a mess. She was still in her school uniform, now completely in disarray.

“Uh,” Mariya frowned, “did you get any sleep at all?”

“No,” Kanako rolled out of the bed, her feet falling to the floor with a gentle _thump_. She waddled forwards a few steps, before collapsing backwards onto the bed.

“Kanako!” Mariya rushed forwards, stopping just short of grabbing the girl, “Shit, Kanako, just lay back down.” The girl was too weak to argue, crawling back into the bed and wrapping herself in the blankets. Mariya reached out a hand, pressing his fingers against her head tentatively. “Okay, _now_ you’re really burning up.”

“I’m fine,” she mumbled, her words muffled by the layers of blankets now surrounding her in a cocoon. Her eyes, misty and surrounded by dark smudges, peeked out from a crack, tinged with red.

“You’re sick, you idiot, you’re not fine.” Mariya sighed, running his hand over his face. “Stay here.” The lump looked at him, her gaze almost saying _where would I move_. He shot her a pointed look, running back down the stairs to grab a bowl of soup, a bottle of decongestants, and a box of tissues. He returned to find her covered in even more blankets.

“Whass’at?” Kankao slurred, her eyes following Mariya as he placed the items on her bedstand.

“Medicine and food,” He opened a small bed-tray, setting it up before her and placing the soup on it, “you should eat before taking this. Take off the blanket, I’m not spoon feeding you.” Kanako stared at the soup, a look of challenge appearing on her face. They sat like this for several minutes, Kanako glaring at the soup and Mariya glaring at Kanako. “Fine, but if anyone hears about this, they won’t be able to find your corpse once I’m through with you.” Mariya finally relented, scowling as he picked up the spoon and angrily filled it with broth, shoving the steaming spoonful into his roommate’s mouth. Her eyes widened with alarm as she wriggled under the tightly knit blankets.

“Ho-fh!” She choked out, spitting out the spoon, “Hot!” Mariya wiped the sprayed soup off onto her wrappings, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance as he re-positioned the spoon with soup before her. “You burned my tongue,” she whined, nearly knocking over the entire bowl with her incessant squirming.

“That wouldn’t have happened if you would just feed yourself.” Mariya said this with scorn, but still paused a moment to let the soup cool before placing it in the raven haired girl’s mouth once again. Her features twisted into happiness, the simplicity of her emotions that of a five year old.

“Yummy!” She hummed, staring at Mariya to try and make him give her another sip of the food. They repeated this process until the bowl was empty.

“You’re taking the medicine yourself,” Mariya was adamant about this, placing the small white pill with the glass of water onto the bed stand and then leaving the room so he wouldn’t give in again. He came back in a few minutes later to find the pill gone, and nearly sighed in relief, knowing that he full well would have given her the pill if she hadn’t taken it.

“Iss’at it?” Kanako asked, blinking up at her roommate. Mariya frowned at her, counting to five before allowing himself to sit on the side of her bed. She was really, really damn cute sometimes.

“Now you should really try and sleep.”

“But I can’t.”

“Sleep.”

“I can’t,” She whined, squirming in her cocoon, “I haven’t been able to sleep at all for the past few days, I _told_ you.” Mariya gritted his teeth.

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“Can you tell me a story?” Kanako yawned, snuggling down into her nest. Mariya hadn’t actually expected a reply to his question, so he could only sit and stare at his roommate in stunned silence for a few minutes. “Please?” He was jolted back into reality to find her staring at him in earnest, her eyes wide and curious. He cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks begin to heat up.

_Really, really damn cute sometimes._

“What do you want to hear about?” He grunted, turning to try and keep his apparent blush hidden.

“Anything,” She hummed, “tell me about little you.” Mariya thought this situation couldn’t get any weirder, he was wrong.

_Little you?_

What, like his childhood? She wanted him to talk about his _childhood?_

So he did.

He talked about growing up with Shizu, and what it was like switching identities. He talked about his grandmother, and practically growing up in this manor with the school around him. He talked about what restaurants used to be here, and the new ones that had been springing up. He talked about how he and Shizu used to go get Ramen every Saturday with their grandmother when they visited, and how they had stopped once she had died. He even brought up his parents a few times, usually only bringing them out of the woodwork to mention a funny incident that they had been present for, or to talk about the days they had spend with them, and how far apart those days seemed to be getting.

He talked about the most mundane of things, from what his favorite color used to be to how he learned how to brush his hair.

By the time Mariya looked over at his roommate again, she was fast asleep, her breathing even and her eyes blissfully closed. She was facing him, her face still in an expression of interest that made it seem like she had been listening to everything that he had been saying. Mariya bit his lip, and found himself staring at her.

This felt wrong.

This felt wrong, because it felt _right_.

Mariya couldn’t help but feel like this should be completely normal, couldn't help but feel himself be completely at ease as he talked this girl to sleep like he had done it several times before. Couldn’t shake the euphoric feeling of sitting on the side of her bed, gently brushing her bangs out of her face as he ran his thumb over her forehead, finding her fever a little lower than it had been before. He jumped back like he had been burned, squeezing his eyes shut and practically banging his head against the wall. _No_ , he had to stop feeling this way, this was _Kanako_.

Yet, even as he told himself this, it took every ounce of his willpower to drag his feet into his room across the hall and shut the door behind him with a solid _thud_.

 

\--

 

Kanako awoke to birds chirping and a thin slant of sunlight falling into her eyes. She stretched, enjoying the blissful warmth, before turning to the clock beside her bed, doing a double take, and nearly having a heart attack.

“Holy crap!” She shouted, jumping from the bed like it was a springboard. She looked down to find herself still in her school uniform, albeit wrinkled beyond recognition, and decided that it was good enough before sliding out of her room and sprinting down the stairs to the kitchen to find her bookbag. “I’m going to _kill_ Mariya!”

“Why am I being killed?” Kanako whipped around from her frantic bag search to find Mariya calmly sitting at the counter enjoying a cup of tea. His hair was once again back in a sloppy bun, and he was wearing a pair of jeans and a loosely knit sweater.

“We’re over an hour late to school!” Kanako cried, her eyes darting around to try and locate her backpack.

“I called us in sick,” Mariya shrugged, taking a dainty sip from his teacup.

“You- we did- huh?” It took Kanako a second to process his words, now turning with a look of confusion.

“I told the school we wouldn’t be in today,” Mariya repeated, exhaling as he set his drink down. He hopped off of the stool, approaching her with his arms crossed, “the teachers all agreed that we looked like hell yesterday, and I pulled some strings. I just had to give them a few fake coughs, it wasn’t that hard.”

“But what about you?” Kanako asked, “You’re not actually sick.”

“No, but you are,” Mariya continued past Kanako into the living room, picking up her bag and holding it out to her, “and you can’t take care of yourself when you’re sick.” Kanako hesitantly took her bag, still struggling to try and understand what was being said.

“So, we don’t have to go in today?”

“No.”

“And… you stayed home to _take care of me?”_ Kanako clutched her pack to her chest, watching as Mariya choked on his next sentence. The tips of his ears began to turn red as he nodded angrily.

“I can’t exactly have a dead roommate, now can I?” He bit, staring out of the window as the red began to creep down his neck. Kanako couldn’t help the smile that began forming on her face. “What?” Mariya was back to glaring at her, his eyes narrowed.

“Nothing,” Kanako fought down her amusement, “it’s just that, someone could take this situation as you _actually caring about me_.” She watched an unnamed emotion flit across the blonde’s face, his lips pursing as he turned away from her with a huff.

“As if. I just don’t want to leave someone with a potentially infectious disease running rampant in my house.” Mariya began to leave the room, mumbling something about idiots and quarantine zones. Kanako didn’t conceal her grin this time, even laughing for a moment before her hoarse throat gave out into coughing. Mariya was instantly there, chiding her for straining her vocal chords and leading her back into the kitchen for tea and breakfast.

Kanako couldn’t explain the warm feeling blossoming in her chest, and didn’t know why she was suddenly so happy to be sick.

Maybe the fever was getting to her.


	18. Why the interruption

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody xx  
> *I am a horrible human*  
> I'm not dead, technically, though the last half of the year certainly drained most of my soul from my body  
> If you ever want to experience death without dying just take AP Chem 1&2  
> After the AP test the test proctor had to walk around with tissues because everyone was crying  
> Really  
> But it's summer!! So if you can forgive me, here's a loong overdue update xx  
> Thank you for sticking with these dorks for so long xx

“Can you pass the purple?” Kanako was sitting at the coffee table, a coloring book opened before her and markers skewed about. She had a large streak of orange across her face, and multiple other colors smudged around her hands, the look in her eyes one that could only be found in the eyes of a five year old child. Mariya watched her from the couch, sipping his tea daintily as he used his foot to nudge the marker across the table in her direction. She frowned at it wantonly. “Not that color purple.” He raised an eyebrow.

“That’s the only purple you have.”

“Can you reach into my school bag? I think I have another set of colors in there,” she hummed, scribbling away. He sighed, stretching over the side of the couch to grasp at the strap of the bag that she had thrown there so haphazardly. He rummaged around inside of it for a minute before promptly giving up and dumping the entirety of it’s contents onto the table next to his roommate’s picture, earning him a cry of protest.

“It was a mess anyways,” he said passively, watching now as she pawed through the pile in an attempt to find the supposed mystery pack of other colors. A glint of cellophane peeked through the rubbish, prompting him to lean forwards and pluck it from the mound of crumpled papers and half torn notebooks. He was surprised to find himself not met with coloring supplies, but instead a small bag of pink flower shaped candies wrapped with a magenta bow.

“Oh, I bought those yesterday at the cafeteria,” Kanako blinked up at him, “You like those, right?” He wrinkled his nose, dropping them carefully onto the ground next to her.

“Eugh, never. I find them quite disgusting.” He said it flippantly, taking another sip of his tea as he stared out of the bay window with a bored expression. Kanako frowned, why was she so sure that he liked those candies? Didn’t he tell her he liked them at some point?

_ The ferris wheel. _

During the game of two truths and a lie, he had mentioned the sakura gummies, hadn’t he? But if he didn’t actually like them…

_ “Um, I’m blonde, I like those gummy-sakura candies at the school cafeteria, and…” _

What was the third? It had been his lie at the time…

Oh well, it would come to her later.

“Aha!” She exclaimed, holding up the markers proudly as she finally managed to locate them. She continued to hum to herself as she drew.

“How is that purple any different than the one that you were using before?” Mariya had resumed his staring, his tea cup nearly empty.

“It’s darker,” Kanako explained, flicking her wrist a few times to get the desired effect from the drawing utensil, “it’s more…  _ menacing.”  _ Mariya made a noncommittal grunt, deciding not to point out to Kanako that she was currently filling in the outline of what appeared to be a bunny.

“Well, I need a drink refill,” He stood up, brushing off his legs. “Do you want anything?” Kanako shook her head, keeping her eyes on the paper in front of her. He held in a sigh, watching the back of her head.

He was oddly… satisfied? No, that wasn’t the right word. Satisfied would be if he could scoop Kanako up right then and there and… well…

Mariya cleared his throat, happy that his roommate’s back was to him as he stepped around her and beelined to the kitchen. He was…  _ content.  _ Yes, that was the closest word to what he was feeling. He liked this, the simplicity of these mundane days with Kanako. It wasn’t that he didn’t miss Shizu, of course he missed his sister, and it certainly wasn’t that he didn’t need Matsurika anymore, _ wherever the hell she disappeared to _ , it was just that, this felt,  _ nice. _

He let out another heavy breath, picking up the kettle and pouring more jasmine tea into his cup. He let Kanako’s faint humming wash over him and erase some of the pounding tension in his heart, the ache growing as he continued to think about the feelings twisting their way through his body.  _ Shit, when did this happen? _ When had he given the giantess in the other room enough time to wiggle her way into his head this much? What did… what did people do when they felt this way?

_ They confess,  _ a little voice in the back of his head pointed out. He started as he realized that his cup had begun to overflow.

“Shit,” he murmured, reaching for the nearest dishcloth.  _ Shit.  _

_ Ohhhh shit. No. Yes? No. Abso~fucking~lutely not. _

He set the teapot back down with more force than was necessary.

“Hey Kanak-” Mariya stood in the doorway of the living room, arms crossed and brow furrowed, when he was interrupted.

By the doorbell.

\--

 

“Oh you are  _ kidding me, _ ” Kanako and Mariya stood behind a pillar in the kitchen, hiding from the prying eyes of the priest that currently occupied their front doorstep. “Shouldn’t he be at work right now?”

Father Kanae heard that his two angels were sick.

_ Both  _ beauties had had to stay home that day, and he couldn’t bear going through an entire day without knowing how they were doing, so he rushed over as soon as school had let out.

“Doesn’t this man have a life?” Mariya pursed his lips, screwing his eyes shut and exhaling through his nose as the doorbell continued to incessantly go off.  _ I’m going to kill him,  _ Mariya decided,  _ slowly, without mercy. _

“Well, we can’t just stand here all day,” Kanako frowned, her mind occupied as her eyes stared at some far away solution. Mariya watched his roommate as she thought, worrying her lip between her teeth as she tried to think through their situation.  _ She was cute when she concentrated. _ “Do you think you could just go to the door like you did last time?”

“Hmm?” Mariya blinked back to the present, the words taking a second to register, “Oh, no. Shizu would be at student council right now.”

“Right,” Kanako’s mind was becoming increasingly frazzled, her worry building by the minute. Why did this priest scare her so much?

“Hey,” Mariya snapped his fingers, lightly flicking her furrowed brow, “it’s going to be fine, okay? He’s harmless.” She swallowed, taking a deep breath. “He’s like… an annoying cat. We just need a spray bottle…” Mariya pittered out at this, his face stretching into a frightening grin.

“Um, do we have a big spray bottle?”

“No, but we have sprinklers,” Mariya’s smile turned slightly sadistic at this, “sprinklers that Rindou rigged before he left to hit the entryway at full blast when turned on.” Kanako’s eyes widened. 

“Isn’t the power switch for the sprinklers on the side of the house?”

“Your point?”

“How are you going to get out without him seeing you?”

Mariya paused, his eyes darting to the partially concealed window above the breakfast nook, “I’m going out of the motherfucking window.”

Kanako had no idea what the priest could have done to piss Mariya off this much, but she was certainly glad she wasn’t on the receiving end of the crazy blonde’s wrath this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love you all!! Questions comments and concerns are always valued xx


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